New Beginnings
by BritishBombshell007
Summary: Classic non-spy story about Cammie and the gang in Roseville. Will she choose the football sweetheart Josh or give in to her desires and choose the mysterious and alluring Zach? Drama, Romance, Heartbreak. Everything you'd expect in a High School. Cammie struggles with the tragic death of her father, can her friends help before she's too far gone? FIRST STORY. HOPE YOU LIKE IT!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N:_

 _HEYYYYYYYY FELLOW GALLAGHER GIRL FANS. BEFORE YOU START THE STORY I THOUGHT I WOULD JUST UTTER A FEW WORDS OF AN AUTHOR'S NOTE SINCE NOW THAT I POSTED A STORY I ACTUALLY CAN! LIKE I SAID IN THE SUMMARY. THIS IS MY FIRST FANFICTION ALTHOUGH I'VE BEEN READING ON HERE FOR SOOOO LONG AND I ONLY RECENTLY DECIDED I WOULD WRITE SOMETHING. BECAUSE OF THIS I'D PROBABLY OUGHT TO SAY THAT SOME OF YOUR AMAZING STORY IDEAS MIGHT HAVE STUCK IN MY HEAD UNCONSCIOUSLY AND I'VE INCLUDED SOMETHING SIMILAR IN MY STORY. I APOLOGISE IN ADVANCE. I PROMISE I'M NOT TRYING TO COPY AND IF I KNEW WHOSE IDEAS HAVE FORMED IN MY BRAIN THAN I WOULD GIVE FULL CREDIT TO THEM. SOOO... PLEASE DON'T BE OFFENDED. WE CAN TALK IT OUT IF ITS A BIG PROBLEM ;) ANYWAY. I PROMISE YOU (E.G. WHOEVER DECIDES THEY CAN BE BOTHERED TO READ THIS) THAT I WILL TRY AND KEEP IT INTERESTING. I REALLY LIKE ENGLISH AND WRITING AND ALL CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK IS WELCOMED- JUST NO HATE :)! WITHOUT FURTHER ADO. I HOPE YOU LIKE THE STORY. THE CHAPTERS WILL GET LONGER I PROMISE. IT'S ONLY THE FIRST TWO THAT ARE A BIT SHORT. OKAY BYEEEEEEEE!_

 _P.S. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GALLAGHER GIRL SERIES OR THE CHARACTERS AND ALL CREDIT SHOULD GO TO THE AMAZING ALLY CARTER! I REAAALLLLY WISH I DID THOUGH XP_

"Cammie! You ready to go?" Mom asked as she put the last of our boxes into the boot of our car.

She had been offered a job in a small town called Roseville in Virginia. Ever since the accident the light in our lives had gone and as much as we tried, nothing was ever the same. Everyone was always saying how sorry they were and mom had started to slip further and further away; forgetting to do the easiest things like making dinner or going out to get groceries. So, when the offer came up for a fresh start, mom took it straight away. We both needed a change. It was just too painful living our lives, having to pretend that everything was okay and that we didn't feel broken every time we remembered something about him. And here we are now. Moving to a cute little town in the middle of nowhere in hope that life becomes a tiny more bearable.

"Yeah, mom. I'm just coming", I said before turning and getting into our rusty, old car.

The journey to Roseville took 5 hours and the whole ride there was filled with the constant chatter from mum about her new job as headmaster of Roseville High. I was really nervous about attending a mixed public school. It was so much more different compared to the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. For one, it was a public school- filled with people who made fun of "snobby" girls like me. Two, it was a mixed school- filled with the mysterious specimen that are BOYS. How do I even speak to a boy let alone try and be friends with them? Although Gallagher was one of the most prestigious schools in the country and had the widest range of curriculum, they certainly didn't teach us lessons in 'boy'.

"Kiddo we're here. Hello? Can you hear me? Cammie!" shouted my mom as she pulled me from my thoughts.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about school and stuff."

"Cammie, sweetie. I know it was hard for you moving away from all your friends and the place you grew up in but this is a way for us to start new. Both of us" she said softly.

"Yeah I know mom. I just wish he were still here with us. Being here, with a new house, starting a new life. It's just confirming that he's gone and he's never coming back." I replied, a fat tear rolling down my cheek.

"He'll always be with us kiddo. Always". We sat there for a few moments in silence, holding onto each other just like we did when I was little. "Now come on. Don't you want to see our new house?" With that we got out of the car and walked up to the door to our new home.

It was massive: four big (en suite) bedrooms complete with built in wardrobes, three floors as well as a game room with a pool table, a swimming pool and the usual rooms (all twice the size of our old house).

Once the moving truck had arrived, we placed all the furniture where they belonged and put all the boxes we had to unpack in their correct rooms. I had already unpacked all my clothes and only had some personal belongings left to do. A feeling hit me sharp in the stomach, a mixture of sadness, nervousness but also happiness; we had finally moved.

"Mom! I'm going to have a walk around town. I'll be back in an hour." I shouted before making my way out the door.

As I strolled down the streets of Roseville, I realised just how cliché this town actually was. White houses lined with pretty front gardens, people saying 'hi' to each other at every corner- everyone knew everyone and change was something that didn't occur very often. But, being my natural chameleon self, no one noticed me and I blended into the background, still taking in my surroundings. Just as I was about to head back I saw the local pharmacy and remembered I needed to get some more anxiety pills to help my panic attacks. I'd been getting them ever since the accident. It's not like they stopped me from having them but it made me worry about things less. It made life easier. Slowly, I walked to the pharmacy and inside was a boy who looked around my age with light brown hair and eyes that matched it. He had his back to me and was sorting out some of the medicine in aisle 4. Not wanting to disturb him, I quietly made my way to the front desk where a man in his early fifties was looking at a computer.

"Hello there. How may I help you?" the man asked with a smile.

"Hi. I was just wondering whether you had any anxiety pills available. I just moved here so I don't have my prescription or anything but I know which ones I'm normally given. Do you think that'd be possible?" I asked politely.

"Yes I think that should be okay. Let me just go grab the ones we have in stock and then you can choose the ones you need." He replied before retreating into the back of the store.

I looked back round to aisle 4 to see if the cute (dare I say it) boy was still there, but was disappointed to see that he'd disappeared.

"So you're new in town" a voice said behind me, making me jump. I turned round to see the boy from aisle 4 staring at me with kind eyes, "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Josh"

"Cammie" I replied cautiously, "yeah I'm new. I just moved here today."

"Cool. Are you planning on coming to Roseville High? It's the best school there is round here."

"Um…yeah. Maybe. I think so?" I stammered acting like a clueless idiot.

Josh chuckled lightly smiling at me, "Well then Cammie. I hope to see you round school."

Before I could reply, the man from earlier came back through. "Here we go young lady. We only had one type in store but if you find out which ones you need specifically we can order them in for you. Are these okay for the time being?"

"Yes. That's great thanks." I replied before handing him the money and turning to leave.

"Hey- Cammie! If you need a school guide or just a tour of the town I'd be happy to show you around sometime." Josh said just as I opened the door.

"Yeah. I'd like that." I replied with a smile before heading outside. I had just spoken to my first boy in this new town and it didn't go so bad after all. He even asked to show me around. Maybe I might take him up on that offer.


	2. Chapter 2

As I walked back through the small town I felt happy at the thought of staying here. I really think mom and I could move on. Things were already starting to look up- for one, mom had pulled herself together and had bought food for us to eat prior to moving in. But also, I could finally see a fleck of light in her eyes again; they weren't grey and cloudy like they had been for the past few months. I was finally getting my mom back. I smiled content at the thought. Once I had got back to the house I finished unpacking the rest of my belongings and looked around my new room. It felt so cosy and warm- just the way I like it. Afterwards, I put on my comfy clothes, which consisted of the softest joggies **(A/N sweatpants if you don't know what they are. I'm English so I'm trying to use American terms for the most of it – e.g. mom- cus that's what the majority of people use but I'm sorry if I get stuff wrong. Tell me in the reviews what I need to change!)** In the whole wide world (navy blue ones especially chosen from Hollister) and my old school's hoodie (what can I say it was oversized, baggy and perfect to snuggle up in), as well as putting my hair up into a top bun and taking my make up off. I was ready to chill with my mom with some pizza and watch the latest episode of 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' (NO judging. It's our guilty pleasure. It's not like you don't have them too…). Suddenly, there was a ring at our door.

"Honey, could you please get that? I'm just finishing off our pizzas." Mom shouted from the kitchen. I sighed in annoyance. Just as I was about to find out what happened to Kim in the Paris robbery- ughhh!

"Yeah. Sure I'll get it." I replied before trudging over to the door and pulling it open. Standing in front of me was a boy who looked around 17 with dark brown hair and the most beautiful green eyes I had ever seen. I stared at him for a few moments, admiring his face.

"Umm…hi! I'm Zach- your next-door neighbour. So my little sister's been nagging me to find out what the new people next door are like so I said that I would come and check you guys out. Make sure you aren't murderers or anything. You aren't are you?"

I laughed, "I'm pretty sure if I was a murderer you probably wouldn't be standing on my front porch right now. In fact you would probably be locked away in the boot of my car- not talking. Or breathing."

"Touché." He said before we both started laughing. "Anyway. That was probably the worst way for me to introduce myself. So let me start again. Hi. The name's Goode. Zach Goode. I'm pretty sure you're not a murderer and if you had your doubts neither am I. I have a kid sister called Eliza who's five and we have a Labrador called Buster. Welcome to the neighbourhood."

"Well thank you Zach Goode. I feel very welcomed now!" I replied smiling. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No that's all. I just thought we should get acquainted since we're destined to fall in love and everything." He said with a smirk on his face.

"Excuse me?" I replied, my mouth hanging slightly open. I suddenly became very conscious of myself and at the fact I wasn't wearing any makeup.

"Oh didn't you know. We're meant to be the modern day Romeo and Juliet. The two lovers from fair Roseville, Virginia. Destined to love each other for the rest of eternity." Zach proclaimed dramatically, putting a hand to his heart.

"Oh and how'd you figure that out? Are you some sort of fortune teller now?" I asked sarcastically, folding my arms.

"That, my lady, I am not. But it's fate. It's written in the stars. Haven't you ever heard about 'The Boy Next Door'?" he said- STILL with a stupid smirk on his face that was growing bigger each second.

I rolled my eyes and decided that whatever I thought of Zach a couple of minutes ago (a nice, friendly, gorgeous boy) had now completely changed (a cocky, bigheaded, annoying one). "Goodnight Zach."

"Sweet Dreams Gallagher Girl."

I stopped short in my tracks, the door just inches away from being shut in his face, "What did you just call me?"

"Gallagher Girl. That's where you moved from isn't it- Guggenheim Academy?" he replied smug and smirking.

"What…How…Who…?" I stuttered. I'd only met this boy a few minutes ago and hadn't said a single word about my past, yet he knew where I used to go to school.

He pointed to himself before smirking some more and saying, "Spy." Slowly he turned away and started walking back to his house. Just as he was about to go in he shouted, "Alas, fair Juliet!".

Still shocked at what he'd just said, I closed the door and made my way through to the lounge where I slumped down on the sofa. Guys were so confusing. One minute I thought I was crushing on this cute, green-eyed boy and the next minute all I wanted was to slap that silly smirk off his face. What even happened just now? I will never understand the male species, I thought to myself despairingly.

"Sweetie? Who was at the door?" Mom called from the now burning kitchen that had smoke pouring out of it.

"Our new neighbour. A boy my age called Zach. He just came to say hi."

"Oh that's so nice of him! We'll have to invite him and his family over for dinner one night." Mom shouted back as she threw the pizza * **cough** * lump of brick into the bin and started over.

Not sure how I'd feel having to deal with Zach again, I turned back to the TV and pressed play. Tomorrow was the start of school and I was so nervous. I was never confident in making friends or otherwise- that's why I'm the chameleon. I mean, it's not like I didn't have any friends- I had lots of them but I never felt particularly close with any of them. It doesn't help when you're the head mistress's daughter either. People either become friends with you because they want something (most likely to get themselves out of something) or they won't become friends with you at all because they think it's too weird and awkward. But, _c'est la vie_. ( **A/N it means "that's life" in French if you didn't know)** Tomorrow was going to be very interesting. As I came back to reality I caught my reflection in the mirror by our window. The words 'Gallagher Academy' stuck out on my jumper in bright blue writing. I cursed myself for being such an idiot- I must have looked so stupid wondering how on earth he figured out where I used to go to school when it was right in front of me the whole time. So stupid!


	3. Chapter 3

\

The sun came streaming through my windows whilst birds chirped happily through the trees. I couldn't believe it. I was going to be starting Roseville High today, a new chapter of my life. I had to admit though, I was extremely nervous of how things would go. What if no one liked me? What if I got bullied for being the headmistress's daughter? Suddenly my alarm clock rang, the loud beeping pulsing through the air. I made my way over to my wardrobe where I was trying to decide on what to wear for my first day of school. At Gallagher you didn't need to struggle on choosing what to wear because we had uniforms that were compulsory. Life had just become 10 times harder now that I actually had to! After much thought I decided that I would go for a cute but casual look. I wore a pair of ripped denim jeans and paired that with a white lacy tank top as well as wearing a pair of converse, my baby blue hoodie and had my hair straightened; I was ready to go. "Mom! We need to leave now otherwise we're going to be late and we don't want that on our first day!" I shouted down the hall.

"I know kiddo, I'm just coming! I was trying to make you breakfast but it didn't go to plan. Will an apple do? We can pick something up on the way if you're quick." She replied, struggling to hold an apple under her elbow as well as the stacks of paperwork that were balancing in her arms.

"Yeah, I'll survive. And plus, an apple a day keeps the doctor away right?" I said before we made our way down to the car and drove to Roseville High, stopping at Starbucks on the way.

Once we had got there I made my way to reception where they handed me my timetable, my locker number and a map of the school. Just as I was leaving a skinny blonde girl holding some extra credit work bumped into me, knocking my caramel frappucino down my new shirt and her papers into the now puddle of coffee on the floor.

"Oopsie Daisies!" she exclaimed, a hint of a southern accent coming through, "I am so sorry. I just couldn't see where I was going and I am such a clutz! Oh my, you have coffee down your shirt. Oh I am so, so sorry. Here, let me wipe it for you." She said before trying to wipe the stain off, which only made it worst.

"No, its fine. Don't worry about it. I didn't see you either. Is your work going to be okay? It's probably all smudged now" I replied worriedly.

"Oh! That is so annoying but I guess that's what I get for being so clumsy all the time. My teachers will understand. I'll probably have to do it all again but I don't mind." She explained with a big smile on her face. "All I'm worried about is how I ruined your lovely outfit! Come with me- my friend always has spare in case any "emergencies" like these happen. You're new, aren't you? I haven't seen you round here before. My name's Elizabeth but you can call me Liz."

I smiled brightly. I liked this girl. She was so cute and funny. She looked just like a southern belle- and a china doll at that. "Nice to meet you Liz, I'm Cammie."

We walked a bit further and got to know each other more; she soon figured out that I was the headmistress's daughter and was surprisingly really supportive about it. "Well isn't that just dandy! It must be so nice being able to see your mom at school and I bet she understands all your problems too."

"Yeah, kinda. Most people seem to find me weird once I tell them or they're just friends with me because they want to use me." I confessed quietly, wincing at a memory of when I was bullied because of it.

"Oh Cammie! That's so horrid! I don't understand why anyone would think that- you're so nice. Don't worry about that here. I have a feeling we're gonna be great friends anyway." She said winking before spotting a girl with long black hair, "Macey! Macey I'd like to introduce you to Cammie- she' new here. I met her at reception and I kinda bumped into her so she spilled coffee all down her top. Can you help the gal out?" Liz asked with pleading eyes.

As the girl called Macey turned round, I realised just how stunning she was. Her long black hair framed her face perfectly, accenting her small nose and high cheekbones. Her eyes were a stunning icy blue and her figure had the perfect mix of curviness complimenting her long, tanned legs. She looked like a supermodel. No- she WAS a supermodel… She scanned me up and down once before flashing me a smile (her teeth along with the rest of her were PERFECT), "Cute outfit you got on. I love your bag! It's the newest season of Burberry, right? Tres chic mon petit fleur."

I grinned at her French reference. It reminded me of the time Aunt Abby took me to Paris and we strolled inside the glam boutiques for hours. Aunt Abby was also the one who sent me the bag. We don't see her very often because her job's really demanding; she's really secretive when it comes down to what job she does. All we know is that it pays well (really well) and Abby likes to treat us with gifts as often as she can. Hence the flashy, straight out of the Burberry catalogue bag. It complimented my outfit, what can I say? "Oui, oui, mon ami. Et toi! Tu es tres joli aussi!" we giggled at each other "Hey, its great to meet you Macey. You look familiar- have we met before?" I asked curiously.

"No I'm pretty sure we haven't. I would have remembered a girl with such good bag sense! You've probably just seen me on TV before. I'm the senator's daughter. You know 'McHenry all the way: for a more bright and prosperous future'" she said in a voice that was trying to resemble her father's. We laughed at that.

"Oh yeah. I saw you on the cover of Vogue magazine I'm pretty sure."

Lizzie cut in at this point, happy to boast about her gorgeous friend "That would be her. Every guy's dream gal on the front cover of the biggest fashion magazine out there. I told her she should do more of them but all she said was 'Once you've done one of them, you've done them all'. I really don't see the sense in that" Liz muttered confused. Macey and I laughed at the sweet girl in front of us, she had so much to learn.

Macey turned to me, "So mon ami, we need to find you a new top to go with your outfit now don't we. I have just the top in mind…" she said before reaching into her locker (which might as well be a mini wardrobe filled with extra clothes, shoes, jewellery and makeup) and pulling out a white long sleeved, lacy-armed top. Liz and Macey formed a mini barrier around me whilst I got changed and looked at my reflection in the mirror.

"I love this top. Thank you Macey. You too Liz!" I said before pulling them both into a hug. I could already tell I was going to like it here.

"Oh and honey. Ditch the hoodie. We need to see that beautiful top of mine which you look oh so chic in!" Macey added, winking.

After Macey was happy with how I looked, we made our way down to our form room- luckily I was in the same as them and they told me all about our form tutor. Her name was Professor Buckingham and apparently she was an ancient lady who used to work in the navy. A few minutes later we had arrived at our classroom and Macey and Liz immediately started to drag me towards a group of people sat by the window.

"Hey guys! Meet Cammie. She's new here." Liz said cheerfully.

My eyes swept across the unfamiliar faces until they landed on one particular face that I could've sworn I'd seen before. A girl who resembled a Greek goddess walked forwards. She had cappuccino coloured skin, brown eyes and dark brown, curly hair that bounced down her back. She was looking at me strangely until she had a look of realization and grinned brightly. A sudden flash of recognition flowed through me as I had a memory of two little girls running around a garden, one with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes and one with dark curly hair and brown eyes. "Camster?" she asked excitedly.

"Bexxie?" I replied equally as ecstatic. We both screamed with happiness as we rushed forwards to greet each other in a bone-crushing hug. It had been years since we'd last seen each other and we'd been separated for far too long. I couldn't believe she was actually here!

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be having a date with Prince Harry or something?" I asked into her shoulder.

Bex laughed, remembering how she would tell Cammie all about her plans to win Prince Harry's heart (even though he was twice our age). "Unfortunately not. I nearly got sent to prison after my fifth attempt to infiltrate Buckingham Palace and persuade Harry to marry me. Such a shame. I would have made one badass princess!" she explained before we both burst out laughing. Pulling back I looked at my old friend closely. She looked gorgeous! She always was the pretty one. Whenever we were together she always got compliments from our parents friends saying how pretty she was, where as I would always blend into the background, not wanting to be seen. It never bothered me though; I preferred it that way. I loved being able to make myself unseen- it was my special talent. "In answer to your question, I moved here a few years ago. I tried getting into contact with you but apparently you'd moved and changed your numbers so I couldn't get a hold of you. It was so annoying! I was moving half way across the globe and my only friend in the states wasn't picking up! But you're here now. That's what counts and I missed you so much cam-bam!" Bex squealed before pulling me into a tight hug again.

"Me too Becky-Wecky. I was so sad when I couldn't make it to England that summer and all the ones after that. It's just that my…" I began before choking up again, a large sob wedging itself in my throat from the comfort of being held by my oldest friend.

"Ssshh I know Cammie. You don't know how sorry and angry I was when my parents didn't take me to the funeral. They said the invites were no kids allowed apart from you of course. I was thinking of you guys though. Every summer I missed seeing you, I thought of you. And then I came here. We can make up for lost time now though, yeah? I want to know about everything I missed." She replied soothingly, smoothing my hair. Bex always knew how to comfort me, ever since we were little. "Now let me introduce you to my friends who I'm pretty sure are going to start swallowing flies if they stare any longer" she teased. Sure enough, everyone was standing open-mouthed at the two girls who had just reunited. Apparently it was the most shocking thing when Bex hadn't strangled me for calling her anything other than 'Bex'.

"But…"

"You…"

"How…"

"Bexxie?"

"Becky Wecky?"

"DATING PRINCE HARRY!" exclaimed a handsome and burly looking guy with blonde hair and blue eyes, who creepily resembled a Greek God, further ending the unanswered questions being asked.

Laughing, Bex strolled closer to him with Cammie linked by her arm. "Grant this is Cammie my oldest friend. Cammie this is Grant my boyfriend."

"It's lovely to meet you Grant." I replied before turning to Bex and nudging her by the elbow. "Great Work Bexxie! He sure could do a number on Prince Harry." I exclaimed which was answered by a love struck Bex and grinning Grant.

"Hia Cammie. I'm so glad to meet you. Its nice knowing Bex actually had a life before me. By the way, can you tell me your secret on how to not get strangled if I call her anything other than Bex." He whispered the last part to me, before we both started laughing.

Bex raised her eyebrows at us curiously before rolling her eyes and turning to face the rest of the group. "It looks like you've already met Lizzie and Macey. Then there's Jonas" pointing to a lanky boy with messy black hair and glasses who was hot in a nerd type of way, "Nick" motioning to a boy who was average height, had light brown hair and grey eyes who looked like he just stepped off the runway, "And finally Zach" she said, where I was met with the same pair of emerald eyes and smirk as yesterday on my doorstep.

"Oh we've already met, haven't we Gallagher Girl" he said in deep and seductive voice before winking at me, causing lots of googley eyes apart from Grant who looked like he was about to slap Zach on the back and congratulate him and Bex who was sending death glares at him.

"He's my new neighbour," I explained, before anyone had the chance to ask whether we had some sexy summer fiasco over the holiday.

Everyone nodded in understanding whilst Bex dragged me to the desk next to her at the back, by the window. Just as she was about to say something, the bell rang signalling the start of the lesson. In came a man in about his mid-forties, with dark brown hair and piercing green eyes (although they weren't as charming as the ones belonging to the extremely cute guy sat in front of her) wearing the face belonging to a person she knew well and loved for many years.

"JOEY?!" she shouted before running to the front of the classroom and jumping onto her god-send of a godfather.

"Cammie-Bear!" Mr Solomon announced happily before twirling Cammie around in a hug.

"I can't believe it. When mom said there was a surprise waiting at school, I thought she just meant Bex but now you too! I missed you so much Uncle Joey!"

"Not as much as I missed you Cam. You and your mom just went off the radar until she called me a couple of months ago and told me about her plan to move to Roseville High as headmaster. I was worried you'd forgotten me!" he replied, placing me down on the floor.

"How could I ever forget you?" I asked, ticking his stomach which led onto a full out tickle war until we noticed the whole class was staring at us like we'd grown two more heads. For the second time that day, I had rendered the whole of my junior form speechless. I wonder what I've done this time. Chuckling, Mr Solomon asked me to go back to her seat, before shouting at the class that it was rude to stare and that they needed to get on with their work.

The rest of the class went by very quickly as Bex and I talked the whole time, catching up like we'd missed no time together at all and before I knew it, it was lunchtime. Luckily in all my classes I had at least one of my new friends in each of them, although, I hadn't seen that boy Josh I'd met in the pharmacy yesterday. I hoped I would- he was really cute. Bex and I walked into the cafeteria, getting our food, before sitting down at a table in the far corner where Liz and Macey sat.

"Hey guys! Cammie how were your first few lessons" Liz asked excitedly

"They were really good thanks Lizzie. It helped that I knew a few people so I wasn't completely alone. Although, it seems like everybody knows that I'm the headmistress's daughter. I can't believe it spread that fast! I only got here this morning." I replied a little stressed. Even though I already had some friends, I was still worried that the past would repeat itself and everyone would find me weird. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice when a certain green-eyed boy came and sat next to me along with his other friends.

"Gallagher Girl! How's the start of school been? I know your lessons can't have been that good since I wasn't in them. But still." Zach said with a wink.

To which I replied rolling my eyes saying, "They were great thanks Zach. It was probably because I didn't have to deal with any cocky, over ego big heads." A loud chorus of "oohs" echoed from the group of people surrounding us. Zach looked at me feigning hurt and put a hand to his heart.

"You hurt me right here, Cammie."

The rest of lunch passed quite quickly and I got to know my new friends better. I learnt that Liz and Jonas had the highest GPA's for young adults in the country and they were secretly crushing on each other even though everyone knew it but them. Grant and Bex had been going out for 6 months and it started when he asked her to prom. Macey and Nick had this complicated relationship going on where they loved each other but were too stubborn to admit it and so they just got into arguments the whole time. Zach on the other hand, is single and he has been ever since he broke up with his on-off girlfriend Tina a few weeks ago. I wonder how long he'll stay that way…


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

 **HELLOOO TO ANYONE WHO READS THIS STORY. Hope you're all having a lovely day! After I posted the first three chapters I saw that many people had viewed it, which I'm delighted about and 4 people commented about it. I'd like to say thank you to the people who did review and ask everyone who didn't to maybe think about it this time. I'd really appreciate if you guys commented on what I could improve or what American terms I need to use etc etc just so that I know I'm doing everything right :) Also to the person who said I was kinda copying another story. I'm really sorry if it seems that way but I would never copy someone else intentionally, but I'll try my best not to. Okay...blah blah blah disclaimer... lets get on with the story! ENJOY XX**

The rest of the day went by really quickly and I was going to meet Bex and Liz at Macey's house for a bit for a girly pamper evening/catch up. Even though I'd only just met Macey and Liz today I feel like we'd been friends for years- they're just so easy to be around. Just as I was reversing out of the car park, a black Range Rover opposite me was also doing the same thing. Me being my oblivious self backed straight into the car behind me, leaving a slight dent in both our cars. I was really angry that the person hadn't just waited and given way to me so I got out the car prepared to demand money from the reckless driver until I turned and saw who it was.

"Josh? What are you doing here?" I ask shocked.

"Me? I go to school here. I was starting to think you lied to me about which school you go to. I haven't seen you all day," He replied in a matter-of-fact sort of tone. "Look I'm really sorry about your car I was just thinking about stuff and.. it was rude of me to not let you past first. I saw you backing up. I'm sorry. I'll pay for the damage if you want."

"Oh don't worry about it. I could say the same. Your car's a little battered too. But I'm glad I ran into you. I've been trying to find you all day."

Josh smiled at that, the worriedness in his eyes replaced by hope. "You have?"

"Yeah. I mean I was hoping you'd take me on that tour of school you mentioned" I replied sheepishly. Talking to boys was very unnerving. Especially cute ones with brown curly hair. "I don't need one any more or anything. I found some other people to show me around instead."

"Oh. Well.. that's really annoying. I would have loved to." Josh replied disappointedly.

"Yeah well. It's fine. I've got to go now but I'll see you round school. Sorry about the car again."

Josh nodded awkwardly as if he were about to say something else but didn't, so I turned to get back into my now-dented car. "Cammie! How about you make it up to me and I'll do the same?"

I looked at him confused, "what do you mean? Do you want me to pay for your car to be fixed? I've only got 20 dollars on me but I can get more..."

He cut me off with a laugh before I could finish. "No silly. I mean, how about to make up for me damaging your car, you come on a date with me? This Friday at 7."

I stuttered shocked. "Umm... yeah.. no... I mean... cool.. great... I'd love to..."

With a final laugh Josh sent me a wink and added, "I'll text you the details," before getting into his car and driving away.

What. Just. Happened. Did I just get a date with cute aisle 4 pharmacy guy? Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I have to tell the girls. I don't understand anything that just happened.

20 minutes later I arrived at Macey's mansion. I'm not even kidding when I say it's a mansion. It's like princess diaries big. Or the Lockwood's house big from 'The Vampire Diaries' (e.g. One of the best TV programmes EVER!). It was just amazing in general and put my house to shame. God I wish I lived here. Look at that pool! Ooooh a chocolate fountain...

"CAMMIE! There you are! What took you so long? We were starting to think you got lost. Come on. The others are waiting upstairs." Liz stated before taking my arm and steering me towards a chic, modern looking room filled with the BIGGEST walk-in wardrobe a girl could dream of (Kardashians style) as well as a king sized bed that felt like you were sitting on clouds.

"Camster! You're here. We were just talking about you. I was telling Mace about that time we snuck into your aunt's pantry and drunk a whole bottle of vodka accidentally because we thought it was special "water" from Istanbul." Bex finished before bursting out laughing, similar to Macey who had fallen on the floor.

"Now that is just pure comedy. Oh my god. How on earth did you think that was water?" Macey choked out.

Liz stared at the pair of us with wide eyes disbelieving and curious, "What happened after that? Did you get caught?"

I decided to cut in at this point since Bex couldn't physically produce anymore sentences. "Yeah we did. My mom and Mrs Baxter got so mad at us they locked us in two separate rooms for the rest of the day but our dads and aunt abby were just laughing the whole time, sneaking us food when they could. We didn't drink any type of water for the next two weeks after that." At this point I was also rolling on the floor struggling for air.

The next few hours were filled with old stories, swapping secrets, getting to know each other and way too much laughter. Just as we were talking about which teachers we would 'kiss, marry, kill' (including my Uncle Joey bleughh!) I hear a ping on my phone. Looking at it, I see that it's from an unknown number saying, "which is more romantic, Italian or Chinese?" Unfortunately I wasn't the only person to see the text and next thing I know I have 3 girls squealing and jumping for joy.

"AHHHHHH! CAMERON ANNE MORGAN WHO'S THE LUCKY GUY TAKING YOU ON A DATE?!" Bex screamed before pouncing on me (literally and it was really painful may I add).

"Alright calm down Bex. It's just one date. And the "lucky guy" is Josh." I mumble, embarrassed at all the attention I was receiving.

"Josh. As in... Joshua Abrams?" Macey whispered, as if this revelation was too much to bear.

"JOSHUA FRICKING ABRAMS?!" Bex shouted, not holding back whatsoever.

Scared at what they were freaking out about, I started to back away into the corner which was completely the wrong move since I now had three VERY intimidating girls (yes lizzie can be VERY intimidating when she wants to be) towering over me.

"What's the big deal about Josh? He's just a normal guy from Roseville High. Hey that rhymed haha you know..."

I got cut off before I could steer the conversation to rhyming. "Cammie. You are so clueless. Joshua Abrams is THE boy everyone wants to be or everyone wants to date. He's the most popular guy at school and if you date him you automatically become one of the 'populars'. He isn't just interested in any one you know. You must be really special." Macey informed me.

"Oh."

"Oh? OH? That's all you're going to say. Oh? Cammie we need an action plan and we need one quick. If you're going on a date with the most popular guy in school then you're going to need to be ready." Macey informed me, already looking through vogue magazines.

By the end of the night we had planned all the different outfits that I might need for the different type of date occasions, including hair and makeup. Afterwards, we all went back home and they agreed to take me to school the next morning since my car was now dented. By the time I got home it was 10pm and my mom was stuck in her office doing paperwork. After a nice hot shower I put on my fluffiest pj's and got into bed; dreaming of my upcoming date with the cutest guy in school.

\--THE NEXT MORNING--

'BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!' Shoot! I slept in. Bex and the others were probably on their way over right now. As if on cue I hear a honk from outside and look out my window to see Bex motioning for me to hurry up. Quickly, I throw on my leggings and Gallagher jumper, brush my teeth and run out the door.

"Cammie! Hurry up or we'll be late" Bex shouted from her car.

"Yeah I know. I'm sorry guys. My alarm clock didn't go off at the right time."

"CAM! What happened to your hair? It looks like something out of one of Lizzie's wildlife magazines!" Macey cried whilst trying to tame it with dry shampoo and a de-knot brush. "You cannot go round looking like this when you're Josh's girlfriend!"

"Hey! Those magazines are great. And for future reference they're called National Geographic, you should get it sometime little miss I'm failing biology." Liz explained, earning an icy glare from Macey.

"Yeah Mace and I'm not Josh's girlfriend."

"Not yet…" Macey countered with a mischievous look.

After Macey had deemed me presentable enough we had a karaoke session to the rest of school until Bex nearly ran a pedestrian over.

"Bexxie? Remind me never to get into the same car with you driving ever again." I squeaked whilst still clutching to my seatbelt for dear life.

"Stop being so bloody dramatic. I'm not that bad at driving!" Bex defended.

"Oh yes you are!" Macey, Liz and I argued.

Afterwards, we made our way to our form where we found the boys waiting for us. They all looked so lost without their girlfriends (except for Zach who just had a smirk plastered to his lips as per usual). My first class was AP English, the only class where I only had Zach to accompany me in, taught by Madame Dabney (she's part French so she likes us to call her that).

"Today, ladies and gentlemen, we will be studying one of the greatest plays ever written. Can anybody guess what it is? I'll give you a hint… it's written by the great Shakespeare himself. Any volunteers?"

After a few pickings and suggestions like Hamlet and Macbeth, we still hadn't answered correctly until Madame Dabney picked the boy who owned the only pair of emeralds in the room.

"Yes Zach? What do you think it is? And for god's sake please get it right. Otherwise I really will lose all hope in this class." She proclaimed dramatically.

"Romeo and Juliet, Madame Dabney. Everyone knows it's the greatest play he wrote." Zach answered whilst staring at me the whole time he was talking.

"Thank the Lord! Well done, Zach. At least one of my students will pass AP English. Now class, this play is all about…"

Madame Dabney's voice faded to the back of my mind and all I could focus on were the plump, pink lips mouthing to me from across the room. _Snap out of it Cammie. He's a cocky overrated person remember?_

'What did I tell you Gallagher Girl?" Zach mouthed with a smirk painted on his face.

Sneaking a glance, I debated whether to answer him but decided against it since it would only feed his ego if I started to take an interest in what he said to me. Suddenly a paper ball landed on my desk. I didn't need to open it to see who it was from. _Just ignore it Cammie. It's not important_.

A minute passed and another paper ball came flying through the air. _Surely just one peek won't hurt…no! I will not give in to him. I mean it._

Another minute passed (which felt more like 30) and yet another piece of paper was sitting on my desk, waiting to be opened. _Okay I can't take it anymore…_

Giving into temptation, I tore open the first message.

'Was that enough evidence for you ;)?'

'So what are we gonna do for our first date?'

'Come on Cammie. I know you're in denial but just admit that we're meant to be together. If you keep the messages it will confirm you feel the same way…'

Oh my god. He's such a player! Ugh he annoys me to no end. I can't believe he thinks I like him.

Angry at how annoying he was being, I chucked the paper balls as hard as I could at him and even created more of them just so I could prove my point. This, however, was a bad move and once Zach had realised what I was doing he created even more of his own, which meant that I was attacked by a swarm of balls, like lighter bits of hail in a snowstorm. Gradually, what started from an innocent message in the form of a paper ball amounted to a full on war with each other.

"ZACHARY GOODE AND CAMERON MORGAN YOU WILL STOP RIGHT THIS INSTANT! I WILL NOT HAVE THIS BEHAVIOUR IN MY CLASS. YOU TWO CAN GO STRAIGHT TO THE HEADMISTRESS'S OFFICE AND NOTE THAT YOU WILL BE SPENDING THE NEXT TWO WEEKS AFTER SCHOOL IN DETENTION WITH ME! GO! NOW!" Madame Dabney screamed (I swear I saw fume coming out of her ears- she's really big on 'etiquette').

I stood frozen and pale in the face. I had never been told off by a teacher ever in my life. Just goes to show how much of a bad influence Zach is on me. Speaking of Zach. Where is he? Slowly coming to my senses, I realise the whole class is staring at me and that Zach has already left. I was so angry that he had started provoking me and then left and humiliated me that I didn't notice the banana peel on the floor and went flying through the air, expecting a big bruise. But I never felt the hard concrete of the floor. Instead I felt a pair of strong arms around me. Gradually, I opened one of my eyes and came face to face with a pair that I both loved and hated at the same time. They were filled with a look of concern and vulnerability, an expression I never thought I would see on Zach.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice laced with worry.

"Yeah. I think so"

But then as quick as that look had come, it had left and was replaced by his stupid smirk instead.

"Falling for me, Gallagher Girl?"

And with that, the moment was over.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

 **Hello again lovely people! Happy Saturday :) I love the summer don't you? All this time to chill, eat food, watch Netflix and of course write fanfiction! I hope you like this next chapter as it's going to be a tense one... Oh and which couple do you like more? ZAMMIE OR JAMMIE? Personally I'm ZAMMIE all the way. I just don't think spies and citizens are meant to be… but I won't judge if you are a Jammie fan-I mean he seems like a cutie. ANYWAY… I needed to ask you something important. Shall I make Josh a bad guy so he's not the respectful guy that we all know and love (or hate?) or should I just let him be his normal self? This is important as it will determine what happens in a few chapters time… A certain Zach gets a bit 'fisty' with Josh? A certain Dee Dee comes into the picture? Zammie love affair? Who knows? I don't. So I need your help. What d'you think? Okay. I'm blabbing on again so I'll shut up now. Enjoy! XX**

 **P.S. I don't own the Gallagher Girl Series or characters**

After mine and Zach's "moment" in the hallway we walked straight to my mom's office in silence where she told us off for behaving idiotically in the classroom and that she expected better of us. I know she's my mom and everything but when she's at school she goes into full headmistress mode and treats everyone the same (including me- meaning I get no special privileges). That then led to an awkward moment where Zach got told to leave and that he was to be at the sports hall after school. Apparently our detention was 'physical'. What does that mean? Are they going to torture us by making us do laps of the field for an hour? Whatever Madame Dabney had planned was bad enough for my mom to feel sorry for me. She said as much when we were talking.

"Kiddo. What were you thinking? I've only just started this job and you're not setting a very good example for us Morgan's. I think you deserve what you have coming this afternoon. I wish I could be there to see you…" she trailed off before I could hear what was in store for me.

"I'm sorry mom. It won't happen again. It's just that Zach is so annoying and I-"

"-Hold on a second. Was that the Zach that came to welcome us on our first night? Our next door neighbour?" my mom asked with a small smile on her face, almost as if she was teasing me.

"Yes! That Zach. He's the most egotistical person I've ever met. Don't even bother trying with him because all he's going to do is smirk at you. Urgh! THAT SMIRK! He was the one who started the paper throwing in class today too." Normally, I would never rat someone else out but this case was special because Zach was especially getting on my nerves.

"Come on Cameron. Don't try and put all the blame on him. He's a good kid. He just puts up a different front. Lord knows how well he acts on top of all the other things he has to deal with. His mom and…" All of a sudden she stops as she realises she's revealed too much information.

Narrowing my eyes suspiciously at her I ask, "How do you know that, mom? You hadn't even met him until just now."

My mom started to grow slightly pink, a telltale sign that she was guilty of something. "I may have looked through his profile…"

"MOM!"

"I know, I know. I only did a little digging! I was just curious as to who lived next door to us. When I heard him talking to you about being "Lovers" I couldn't resist! You know I always have to do a little background check! I didn't realise you two would get into trouble so quickly! Look, what I'm saying is, don't give him a hard time okay? And DON'T get into trouble whilst doing so."

Thinking over what scenarios this could cause in my head, I slowly relented. "Fine. But I'm not promising anything."

"Okay, honey. Off you go to class. I'll see you home after detention. Have fun!" she smiled at me deviously. I wonder what Madame Dabney had planned…

The rest of the day was pretty normal and once everyone had heard about what happened, the girls started teasing me relentlessly. They even accused me of having a secret relationship with Zach- like that would ever happen! News (more like rumours) had spread so fast around school that even Josh ended up texting me about it, which didn't help my situation as everybody started thinking that I was a player. Right now I was currently walking to the sports hall, preparing myself for the worst detention of my life (since this was my first one and I was not planning on letting it happen again). Suddenly, Zach spotted me standing at the entrance and he grabbed my hand and started dragging it to the middle of the room where the rest of the people with detention and Madame Dabney were.

"You're not getting off that easily, Gallagher Girl", he whispered in my ear, sending shivers through me.

Madame Dabney cut me off before I could reply. "Okay, ladies and gentlemen, as part of the new detention scheme the teachers board has come up with, you will be entailed to learn a new skill. Each semester you will learn something different, so valuable time is not wasted. This semester we will be learning the art of DANCE!" This was replied with a lot of groaning. I can't believe we have to give up our time to learn how to dance. I already can! As if reading my mind, Madame Dabney started talking again. "No, this is not the type of silly dance you do at parties. This will be proper dancing. Today we'll be learning the waltz! Now, get into partners and we'll begin."

Looking around the room, I see that I don't know anyone here except the one person I'm trying my hardest to avoid. I start making my way to a boy in the corner when a hand catches my wrist.

"Nu-uh Gallagher Girl. You are not ditching me for some emo guy who thinks he's a vampire." Zach said.

"Yeah, well, last time I checked, you were not the boss of me, Blackthorne Boy." I retorted. This time, it was Zach's turn to be surprised. I may or may not have seen his profile on mom's desk in her office, revealing the only piece of "secret" information I knew about him- what his last school was called.

"How...what…how?" Zach stuttered. Revenge is sweet.

I pointed to myself and wore a smirk (his trademark) on my face before saying, "Spy". Thinking I'd left him dumbfounded, I started to walk away, but Zach grabbed a hold of my waist, pulling me towards him.

"Well played, Cammie. I guess I underestimated you." He whispered in my ear.

Deciding to show him what "underestimating" looked like, I grabbed a hold of his wrist, shifted my weight and flipped him over. I guess those judo lessons in sixth grade paid off. "You can say that again."

"CAMMIE AND ZACH. Would you like to demonstrate for the rest of the class?" Madame Dabney shouted from across the hall.

At this point I wanted to disappear, but she pulled us into the centre of the room where she asked Zach to put his right hand firmly on my lower back and for me to put my right hand in his palm. Whilst everyone was getting into their positions, Zach started to talk. "What's the matter, Gallagher Girl?" he said, eyeing me. "You're not actually mad about earlier, are you?"

The music grew louder and I heard Madame Dabney spouting instructions. "Now ladies and gentlemen, we will begin with a basic box step. Courtney, if you're going to dance with emo boy then you must let him lead!"

Zach was staring at me expectedly, waiting for an answer. Before I could reply, my teacher placed one hand on Zach and the other on me and announced, "Hold your partner tightly." She pushed us closer together and before I knew it, we were dancing.

Surprisingly, the hour flew by pretty quickly and before I knew it, it was time to go home. As soon as Madame Dabney dismissed us, I ran to my locker and into the car park, trying my best to avoid Zach. However, fate just never goes my way and I soon realised that I had no car because mine was sitting in the garage with a large dent in it. Goddamn Bex! She knew that I would have to ride home with Zach. Slowly, I made my way to the entrance of the school, waiting embarrassedly for Zach to show up. As he came out the doors, he had a smug look on his face, almost like he knew that I would need him.

"You just can't stay away can you Gallagher Girl?"

"I wish I could but I need a ride home since Bex forgot about picking me up." I say through gritted teeth.

Zach smirked but nodded his head towards a black Audi, "So what happened to your car then?"

"Oh…someone backed into it the same time as me and now it's got a dent in it. We're waiting for it to be serviced." I reply quietly.

"Really? Do you not know how to use your wing mirrors?" he retorted with an expression that looked like he was trying not to laugh.

"Yes. Zach. I. Do. It wasn't my fault Josh just happened to reverse when I was already doing so before him." I snapped.

Surprisingly, Zach's eyes turned a little darker at the mention of this and he had an irritated expression on his face. "Jimmy got you in an accident?"

"Yes… well no… it wasn't an _accident_ it was really only a slight bump and he apologised afterwards and everything." I tried explaining. I somehow felt the need to defend him to Zach. "And his name's Josh."

He mumbled something under his breath that almost sounded like he offered to beat Josh up, but I just ignored it and got in the car. The car journey home was quite awkward, filled with meaningless small talk about school and the weather. It wasn't until after a 5-minute long silence that Zach decided to speak.

"Hey, Cammie? I just wanted to say that I'm sorry if I got you into trouble with your mom. I…It was stupid of me to start that. I was just…" after a moment of hesitation he said, "bored. I was bored." With a very unconvincing voice.

Surprised at his sudden confession, I gave him a timid smile. "Forgiven."

Zach grinned at me, one of the only times I had seen a genuine smile. "Great."

We slowly pulled up outside our houses, when we saw a little girl crying on the doorsteps to Zach's house. Zach rushed out of the car towards the girl and pulled her into a hug. I quickly got out too, wondering what had happened.

"Lizy. I'm here. It's okay. Shhhhh." Zach soothed, rocking the girl back and forth. She clung to Zach like her life depended on it, all the while trying to contain her sobs.

"Sh- She came b-back Zachy. Rosie's mom dropped m-me off early a-and I thought you w-were home cuz the lights were on b-but it wasn't you." She said before erupting into tears again.

"I'm sorry cookie. I had detention. Did she do something to you?" he asked, concern radiating off him in waves.

"N-no I r-ran outside before she c-could. I fink s-she's been dr-drinking again Zachy."

Zach's expression turned into a mask of anger and he stood up abruptly, with his fists clenched at his sides. Slowly, he turned to face me and it scared me how angry he looked.

"Cammie. This is my sister Eliza. I need you to take her into your house for me until I come and get her. Is that okay? I won't be long." Zach asked me through clenched teeth. The tone of his voice hinted that he wasn't asking, but I nodded anyway before going towards Eliza.

I smiled at her before crouching down to her level. "Hi Eliza. I'm Cammie. Shall we go inside and watch a Disney movie whilst your brother goes to sort something out. I've got lots of choices." I say before taking her hand in mine gently. She looks to Zach for confirmation and nods shyly when he says yes. "It's just the one next door." At this, Zach turns to go inside his house. Sensing something serious was happening, I called out his name. "Zach!" he turned round, "Be careful." With a last look at me, he was gone.

"Come on, then. Let's go and watch some Disney, shall we?" I ask Eliza, clutching on to her little hand. Once we were inside, I saw a message on the table saying that my mom had gone to the store to get some groceries and that she would be back at 7. Great. I could focus on little Eliza in peace for a few hours. She was a cute little girl with curly, strawberry blonde hair and emerald green eyes like her brother. At first she was quite quiet but as soon as we started talking about our favourite Disney princesses she was as chatty as anything.

"Really? I think that Princess Jasmine's the best. She has a pet tiger!" I exclaim loudly.

"Yeah but Princess Ariel is a mermaid and she can walk and her best friend is a talking fish!" Eliza argued with a look of awe on her face. "I want to be a princess!"

I chuckled at my new friend. We were currently snuggled together on the sofa watching tangled and eating food. "You better eat up your Oreo's quickly. Your milk's getting cold." I say, watching as she stuffs the remaining cookies in her mouth.

"Cammie?" her angelic voice chimes.

"Yes Lizy?"

"You're my favourite girlfriend that Zach's had."

"Oh sweetie. I'm not your brothers-" I got cut off before I could finish.

"You're so kind and nice and you like the mint Oreo's like me and you like Disney and you're very pretty!" she explains happily.

A feeling of warmth spread through me, as I felt protective of this little girl in front of me. "Thank you, Lizy." I say, with a genuine smile on my face. "But do you wanna know a secret?" I whisper, which was replied with vigorous nodding. "I have a special power that tells me when someone is a true princess."

"Really?" Eliza asks with big eyes filled with wonder.

"Mmmhmmm. And do you know what my power's telling me?"

"Is it telling you that Belle isn't a princess? Because she is! She just started off as a poor person but she married the beast and he's a prince!" she replied animatedly.

I laughed at her lovingly. "No, not that. But that is true!"

"Then what?"

"It's telling me that there's a princess sitting right next to me."

Suddenly she gets up and peers over to the other side of me. "No there isn't! Unless she's invisible!"

"Of course she's not invisible. The princess is you, silly!"

Her beautiful green eyes grew even bigger and a dazzling grin was plastered on her face. "Me? I'm a true princess?"

"Yeah! You, Eliza Goode, are the fairest princess of all, even if you don't have a tiara."

"Does that mean I have to marry a prince?" she asked with a look of disgust on her face. "I don't like boys. They're yucky and stinky and can be so mean!"

I laughed, but was soon interrupted by a deep, husky voice.

"You don't like boys? Oh no! I guess I better go then." Zach said, with a sad puppy look on his face.

"Zachy-poo! You're back! Me and Cammie had so much fun and we watched Tangled and talked about princesses and she said that I was a true princess cuz she has a special power and we ate Oreo's and Cammie's favourite flavour is mint choc-chip like me and we dipped them in warm milk and I want Cammie to babysit me from now on! She's SOOO much nicer than that weird girlfriend you used to have called Tina"

Zach and I looked at each other than at Eliza and laughed happily. It wasn't until I noticed red scratches on the side of his face that I stopped. Zach noticing this, told Eliza to go get her coat so we could have a moment alone. I walked closer to him and before I even realised what I was doing, I gently reached out my hand and traced the side of his face that had scratches on.

"What happened Zach?" I asked softly.

"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it." He replied, looking anywhere but me.

Getting frustrated, I cupped his face in my hands and forced him to look at me. "No, Zach. It's obviously not nothing. Why do you have scratches on your face? Who's the 'she' Eliza was talking about?"

He avoided my eyes and replied, "It was my dog. My dog scratched me when I was trying to pick him up." We both knew it was a lie- he couldn't have sounded more fake.

"Right. Your dog scratched you. I think you should take Eliza home now. It's nearly 7. What time does she usually go to bed?" I said quietly.

"Cammie-"

"No, Zach. If you're not going to be honest with me then I can't be friends with you, okay? I only want to help."

"You don't understand. You can't-"

"Whatever, Zach. You can go home now. Goodnight."

Anger clouded his eyes again and he put on an emotionless mask. "Fine."

Eliza came running through to the lounge. Sensing the tension in the room, she frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

Not wanting to ruin her happy mood, I put on a fake smile and replied, "Nothing, Lizy. It was great having you over tonight your highness." I winked.

"It was my pleasure." She giggled.

"Come on Eliza. We're going home now." Zach instructed coldly.

"But we didn't finish the-"

"NOW. Eliza. Please." He snapped. "I'll read you the princess and the frog before bed." He said in a softer tone.

Eliza nodded in response before running over to me and hugging my legs, "Please can I come again soon?" she whispered.

"Of course you can sweetie." I whispered, hugging her back. "Go on then, your highness. You don't want to miss princess and the frog!"

"Okay. Bye Cammie!" she waved, as Zach ushered her out the door.

"Bye Eliza!" I replied before watching the pair of them disappear through the front door. I don't know what happens behind that red door, but I'm determined to find out if it means keeping little Eliza safe.


	6. New Beginnings - CHAPTER 6

HEY GUYS! I am so sorry i haven't updated in a while. I started boarding school and god is it busy. To make up for the delayed update i wrote an extra long chapter. I had a bit of writer's block so some of it is pretty crappy, okay? BUT good news, i have the next few chapters planned out (block cleared) and i will try and write in all the spare time i have. On another note, THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU to the people who reviewed or followed/favourited the story or me. It makes me so happy to know some of you actually like this and my writing. Anyway, without further ado, ENJOY! 

p.s. I don't own the Gallagher Girl Series or Characters and there is also one moment in this (date scene) that i stole from the book- see if you can spot it- but the plot is mine! 

School started like any other day. Me meeting up with the group of friends that I already felt like I had known for years and all of us sitting down in our spaces whilst our names were called out in registration. Except, it wasn't the same. One of the people wasn't here and I had a feeling it might've been something to do with me, meaning I felt guilty the whole day. At lunch, everyone picked up the depressed mojo I was emitting and started asking questions. Apparently, Zach had called in because he was "ill" and that he would be back tomorrow. Everyone seemed to believe it, but me. I knew something was wrong and that it was probably something to do with the drunken person Eliza had talked about. I just hoped they were okay. After I saw the scratches on Zach's face I realized that that person must've been quite forceful to do that to a grown man and worried about what they could do to a small child. Eliza was so innocent and young- she still lived in a world full of princesses and mermaids. And it was that fact alone that scared me so much.

"Hey, Grant. I was just wondering about something. It's About Zach." I said timidly.

"Hit me Cammie-bear." Grant replied. He had been calling me Cammie-bear ever since Bex brought it up. He was basically like an older brother to me and I felt comfortable talking about anything with him. Including the boy who was currently turning my world upside down.

"What are Zach's parents like?" I ask.

"Why you asking?" He replied curious.

"Just wondering. I haven't actually met them yet and they live next door." Technically, it wasn't a lie. I hadn't yet.

"Lets just say Zach's parents aren't really the "meet the neighbours" kind of people. They're not around much- at all really. That's all I can say Camster. You'll have to ask Zach if you wanna know more." He explained cryptically. Huh. I wonder why.

"Oh cool. Well thanks anyway."

"No problemo. And Cammie. Zach's my best friend and I don't want to see him getting hurt. Just…be good to him, okay?" He said quietly.

Not really sure what to say, I nodded my head and made my way out the canteen. I couldn't deal with everyone else asking questions about my mood when something was obviously happening in Zach's life. Why I felt the need to help him? I have no idea. But I couldn't ignore the feeling of concern nagging away inside of me. Straight after detention ended (which was incredibly boring without a certain person there) I walked back home and up to my room. Wondering what I could do to make Zach open up to me, I decided to bake something. Luckily, I hadn't inherited my mom's cooking skills and ended up making some delicious chocolate chip cookies. Walking up the steps to Zach's house, I realised I was incredibly nervous for some reason and was tempted to just ring the doorbell and leave. Unfortunately, a dog started barking at the door before I had the chance, revealing my whereabouts. Just as I was about to knock, the door swung open and I came face to face with Zach.

"What do you want?" He asked coldly, a blank expression on his face. I could still see the scratches etching the side of it.

"Hi to you too." I replied, rolling my eyes. "I came…to say sorry. I overreacted last night and I shouldn't have been so nosy. It's your life and you can share as much of it as you want. I was just worried about Eliza and…" I paused, coming to a realization. "I was worried about you." I whispered, looking down.

It was silent for a few seconds before he said, "Are you going to stand there all day or what?" opening the door wider. I looked up into his eyes and saw that they were filled with a look of forgiveness. His usual smirk was replaced with a shy but teasing smile instead. Slowly, I stepped into his house. It looked much more different to what I imagined. The house was just so bare. There weren't any pictures that I could see and it had an almost abandoned feel to it. Suddenly, I felt something wet and slimy tickling my hand and looked down to see the cutest golden Labrador licking me. Surprised, I jumped back, dropping the cookies on the floor and felt my cheeks warm as I saw Zach bent over from laughing at me. I don't know why I was so surprised- I'd even heard him barking before I came in!

"Cammie, meet Buster." Zach said, grinning widely. "He doesn't usually get that reaction from people. Do you buddy?" he added, bending down to stroke Buster between the ears.

Still embarrassed, I cautiously bent down to stroke him too. "It's not that. I was just…taken by surprise. I mean, haven't you ever heard of that 'drip, drip' horror story before?"

This just caused Zach to start laughing again. It rung through my ears and I couldn't help but want to hear it more often."Gallagher Girl. I'm pretty sure my dog isn't actually a secret human that's just dressed as my pet."

I rolled my eyes in response, "Anyway. I made you something. Although, they might be a bit squished since they were just introduced to your floor." Saving all the cookies that I could, I handed the plate over to him. "I hope you don't mind."

"Are you kidding? I love floor-cookies. They're my favourite! Got a bit of dust on them. Just adds some texture." He said winking, causing me to blush again. He made his way into the kitchen, me following in after him.

"Where's your sister?"

"Oh she's at a friend's house. She should be back soon."

"Cool."

An awkward silence fell over us as he ate the cookies and I just stood there…watching him. After he'd eaten about 5 of them, he stared at me. "You made quite the impression on Eliza yesterday."

"I did?" I answered surprised.

"You did." Zach confirmed. "She wouldn't stop going on about you. I didn't realise you had magical princess powers" he announced grinning.

I smiled then, remembering Eliza's expression when I told her. "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Zach."

"Is that so? Well it seems like my sister has you figured out. She said she thinks you're a princess and that I'm stupid to not ask you if I can be your prince." He replied smirking. At least I knew Old Zach hadn't completely disappeared.

I blushed, not knowing what to say. Cautiously he started to move towards me and stopped when he was only a few inches away. He looked deep into my eyes and I couldn't help but drown in his. "Thank you for worrying about me, Gallagher Girl." He whispered, his warm breath hitting my face like a gentle gust of wind. That's when I realised how close his face was to mine. I held my breath as I felt frozen in place. My heart started pumping wildly in my chest as he inched his face closer to mine. Closer and closer and- the doorbell started ringing. Zach had a look of annoyance on his face as he retreated, "I'll be back in a second."

Muffled voices came from the doorway until the sound of light footsteps came running around the corner.

"CAMMIE!" Eliza shouted, giving me a hug.

I grinned, "Hi Lizy!"

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her green eyes shining with excitement.

"I brought you some cookies. Chocolate chip- you're favourite. I ran out of mint Oreos so I made you some different ones instead." I explained, handing her a non-squished one.

"Mmmmmmm" Eliza sighed, getting crumbs around her face. I laughed at her.

"Nice?"

"YUMMY!"

Zach came running towards us, picking Eliza up and twirling her around. "Excuse me, princess, but those are MINE!" he teased.

She squealed as he tickled her. "NOOOO ZACHYY! YOU HAVE TO SHARE!"

"NO I DON'T! They're for me." He said smugly. "Isn't that right, Cammie?"

"Well, Zachy, they were an offering to the princess!" I exclaimed.

He narrowed his eyes as I called him 'Zachy' and whispered something in Eliza's ear. Her beautiful eyes widened as she started shaking her head violently. "No no no! That's mean Zachy." She said. He grinned evily and walked closer.

"Zach what are you doing?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

He kept coming closer with an evil look on his face and before I knew it he had pounced and was tickling me so hard I couldn't breathe.

"Za-ch st-op i-t." I choked out through gasps.

"Now. Who are the cookies for?" Zach asked mischievously.

"OKAY-OKAY" I gasped. "THE COOKIES ARE FOR YOU. THE COOKIES ARE FOR YOU AND LIZY!"

"Good." He said, before getting off of me.

After that whole event, I realised the time and that I had to go back home for supper. I may not have found out anything on what happened yesterday but at least Zach and I were on speaking terms again. Which meant I was one step closer to finding out.

"Hey, listen. I'm gonna go home now. My mom's expecting me back in time for dinner and I don't want to keep her waiting. I hope you BOTH like the cookies." I say, making my way to their door. "Bye Eliza!"

"Bye-Bye Cammie!" she shouts.

I was just about to open the door when Zach stopped me. "Gallagher Girl, wait. I'm sorry too. I know you just wanted to help and I shouldn't have lied. I hate liars as well, how ironic is that?"

"It's fine. No harm done. Friends?" I ask shyly.

"Friends." Zach answered back, grinning. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I guess you will. You have some making up to do Zachy! Ditching me in detention. NOT cool!" I shouted, reaching my front door.

"Goodnight Juliet." Zach shouted back, winking.

I shook my head as I walked into my house- happy that Zach was okay again.

\----------------------------------------------NEXT DAY--------------------------------------------

I woke up to the covers being pulled off my bed and a very angry looking Macey standing above me.

"CAMERON ANNE MORGAN! Do you know what day it is?" Macey shouted.

"Friday?"

"Yes. And do you know what's happening today?"

"The last episode of Pretty Little Liars?" I ask excitedly. Man I'd been waiting so long to find out who Uber-A was!

"NO. That comes out on Wednesday! CAMMIE HOW COULD YOU FORGET?" She said, nearly bursting my eardrums.

"MACEY STOP SHOUTING! And forget what?" I ask frustratedly. "Did I forget someone's birthday?"

At this moment Bex and Liz walked in my room. "No, Cammie. But you did forget about a certain date." Bex chimed as she came and sat on my bed. After a few seconds of thinking I remembered. Date. Josh. Friday. Today.

"That's today?" I ask shocked.

"YES! And we need to get you ready. Do you not remember our gameplan? Lizzie explain to her." Macey said, already sorting through my clothes.

"Phase 1: Dress to Impress. Turn up at school looking flawless so he's pining for you all day." Liz starts. "Phase 2: Find out information about the date. Phase 3: Get ready for said date with the help of operatives Macey McHenry, Bex Baxter and Liz Sutton."

"Operatives?" I say raising my eyebrow.

"What? I've been reading this book all about spies called 'I'd tell you I love you but then I'd have to kill you'. AMAZING." Liz explained animatedly. We laughed at our friend. After a torturous few hours of getting ready for school, I was finally 'Macey-approved' and ready to go. They had dressed me in tight black skinny jeans, a white crop top with a light brown leather jacket and high-heeled boots to match it.

"Ooh Cammie, you look goood. Okay now lets get to school before we're late!" Bex shouted. Not long after, we'd arrived at school and saw the guys waiting by the entrance doors. Zach saw me at once and I swear I saw him blush at the sight of me. A flashback of what nearly happened last night took over me and I stumbled as I made my way over to him. Luckily, Zach was close enough to catch me and he looked at me with concern in his eyes.

"Are you okay, Gallagher Girl?" he asked worried.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'm just so clumsy." I answered, barely stopping myself from telling him the real reason.

"Okay. If you're sure." He replied, smiling gently at me. After the incident with Zach it felt as if something had changed. He wasn't just some annoying too-big-ego person anymore. He was actually being a genuine guy. And although I wouldn't dare to say it, that side of Zach was someone who I could see myself falling for…

After registration and the first few classes, I finally saw Josh walking in the hallway and decided to seize my opportunity at asking about the date. I was kind of excited after all and couldn't help but wonder what we would be doing tonight.

"Hey Josh." I said as I walked up to him and his group of friends. They were all star football players and had quite the "playboy" reputation amongst them. Some people even accused Josh of being one but I had a feeling he was different.

"Oh hey Cams. What's up?" he asked as his friends all stopped to look at me. I felt their eyes scan over my body and wanted them to stop. I didn't like being seen. I was the chameleon. I was meant to be invisible. Josh sensing my discomfort introduced me to them. "Cammie, this is Tyler, James, Ashton and Mason. Guys, this is Cammie."

"So you're the hot headmistress's daughter." The guy on the left said with a smirk on his face. His name was Tyler, I think.

"Uh yeah, I guess." I replied uncomfortably. I was used to getting comments about how hot my mom was but it was just wrong listening to guys in my year fawning over her.

"Looks like hot genes run in the family." The boy named Ashton added, winking at me in a way that I think he thought was "seductive".

"Yeah. You Morgan's' have nice buts." Mason said, earning nods from the rest of his companions. I glanced at Josh, but he was just smirking along with them as if those comments had no effect on him or me at all. Suddenly, I started to feel uncomfortable again and made my way to leave. Maybe Josh wasn't that different after all. Determined not to show that it affected me either, I just rolled my eyes and told them they were sexist pigs, leading to some cat calling and them calling me "feisty". I wasn't going to waste my time on them any more. As I started walking to the lunch hall I felt someone grab my wrist.

"I'm so sorry Cammie. They were being dicks as per usual. Don't take it to heart, they just like to mess around like that." Josh said sincerely, pleading for forgiveness with his eyes.

"You can say that again" I scoffed.

"I promise I'll set them straight. Just…Please still come tonight." He begged.

Staring into his hazelnut eyes I decided to give him one more chance since he seemed sincere and he was the first 'potential' boyfriend I've ever had. I haven't had enough experience to tell if that was the right choice or not, but either way I said yes, producing a dazzling smile from Josh.

"Great. I'm so glad. Just wear casual clothes and text me your address. I'll pick you up at 7." He explained.

"Okay. I'll see you then."

"Yeah. I guess you will."

After that encounter I made my way into the lunch hall ready to tell the girls about what Josh said, until I heard the familiar melody that was Zach's laugh. Something about the way he would smile at me, a twinkle in his eye, made me yearn for his attention even more than usual. But alas, he didn't like me like that and I already had someone else.

"Cammie, did you manage to speak to Josh?" Macey asked over the table.

"Yeah, just now actually. He said to wear casual clothes and that he'll pick me up at 7." I explained.

"Ooh are you and Josh going on a date?" Grant asked teasingly.

"Don't act like you didn't already know Grant. I know Bex told you!" I replied, rolling my eyes. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Zach with that same emotionless mask on his face and his fists clenched by his sides. Worried something might have happened at home I took his hands in mine, making him look at me. "Is everything okay?"

Zach's eyes softened as he saw my concern and smiled at me. "Yeah. I'm fine. Listen, I'll catch up with you later. I have some things to do before class." With that Zach got up and left, not even bothering to say goodbye to the others.

"What's up with him?" Jonas asked. "He was fine just a minute ago."

"Oh I'm sure it's nothing." Nick said. "Although he's been acting weird all day. I think there might be a certain someone involved. He keeps getting this weird puppy look on his face when he zones out."

"D'you think him and Gossip Girl are back together?" Grant asked. At the mention of Tina I felt a pang of jealousy run through me. So what if they were back together? It's not like anything happened between us. Lost in thought I didn't realise that Macey, Bex and Liz had noticed my expression and shared a silent conversation with each other.

"I'm gonna go to class early. I have to ask Buckingham about something. See you guys in a bit." I announced, leaving the room. I didn't really need to see Professor Buckingham; I just needed an excuse to leave. Just as I was about to reach my class, I heard hushed voices coming from inside Joey (aka Mr Solomon's room) and was very surprised to see Zach and him engaged in what looked like a very serious conversation.

"I just don't know what to do Joe. I'm not around 24/7. What happens if she comes back when I'm not home and Catherine does something to her? It nearly happened the other day. Luckily Cammie was there to keep an eye on her but what would of happened if she wasn't? I can't lose Eliza, Joe. She's all I have these days."

"I know, Zach. I'll try and talk to Rachel and see if she can end your punishment. She already knows about your home situation so I'm sure she'll understand. If Catherine comes back drunk again, call me and get you and Eliza to some place safe. You understand?"

"Yeah, Joe. Thanks for everything."

"We're family, Zach. I'll always be here for you both."

"I know. I'm just so scared about Social Services. If they find out…I might not see Eliza again for at least a decade."

"That's worst case scenario and it won't happen as long as I get a say in it. Now, stop worrying and get to class. I'll sort things out."

"Okay. See you later, Joe." Zach replied before grabbing his bag and heading towards the door. Not wanting to be seen I quickly ran into Buckingham's classroom and sat in my space, studying Zach as he put on a façade and pretended to be normal- something I was all too familiar about. I wonder how many people knew how vulnerable he actually was. How was I meant to tell Zach I knew his secret without seeming like I was prying? Debating with myself, I decided to talk to him later and just focus on school. After all, I still had to make up for leaving a bad impression on the 'Morgan' name. 

Classes went by pretty quickly after that and before I knew it, the girls were helping me get ready for my date with Josh. Detention was cancelled because Madame Dabney was ill so I hadn't been able to speak to Zach. I still wasn't sure how to tell him that I knew what he was hiding. But, right now, I was focusing on Josh and how nervous I was about screwing things up. After 3 hours of being made up, I was finally ready to go. I was dressed in blue denim jeans, a white off the shoulder jumper and a burgundy coloured scarf, paired with brown leather boots. My hair was left down in waves and I had light make up on- not too much, but not too little. Just the way I like it. After looking outside my window, waiting for Josh's car to show up, I heard a ping from my phone.

'You look beautiful ;) –Z' Shocked at his text, I looked outside my window onto the street to see if he was watching me (which would be kind of creepy if he was) but saw no one there.

'And how would you know what I look like? –C' I replied, still trying to spot him.

'I just do. Shame it's being wasted on Jimmy… -Z' I smiled, coming to a realization.

'Is someone getting jealous ;)? P.S. Do I need to report you to the cops for invasion of privacy? –C' 

'I'm not jealous. I'm more pitying you for you're upcoming date tonight. P.S. It would be much appreciated if you didn't. –Z' Suddenly, I remembered what he had said to Joe about Social Services and Eliza and immediately felt guilty for bringing it up.

'What's wrong, Gallagher Girl? I didn't mean to offend you or anything. –Z' Surprised he could see my expression, I was even more curious as to where he was.

'Seriously, Zach. Have you planted bugs and cameras in my room?? –C' 

'Cameron Anne Morgan, don't you dare answer my question with a question. And no. I have not. Who do you think I am? A perv? –Z' 

'Umm…how do you know my middle name? –C' 

'Spy ;) –Z' Annoyed about how much he knew about me and how little I knew about him, I huffed in annoyance. The girls had already gone and I was left to think, before my thoughts were interrupted as the doorbell chimed.

"Cammie! Josh is here!" Mom shouted from downstairs.

"Coming!" I replied before grabbing my bag containing my phone, money and some lip gloss that Macey insisted I put in there. As I made my way downstairs, I saw him and my mom talking, her staring at him in awe.

"Oh Josh! You're too kind." She laughed, blushing. Since when did my mom blush? Disgusted, I decided to interrupt before she stole him away from me.

"Hey Josh." I said shyly, smiling.

"Cammie! Hi! You look amazing!" He replied grinning, making my stomach do somersaults. "Um… so are you ready to go?"

"Yeah." I said, taking his outstretched hand.

"Well then. You two kids have fun. Make sure she's back by 10, Josh. Bye!" Mom said closing the door. Internally face-palming myself, I pulled Josh to his car where he opened the door for me like a gentlemen and climbed in himself from the other side.

"I'm so sorry about her. She can be so embarrassing sometimes."

"There's nothing to apologise for. She seems really cool." He replied with a smile.

I laughed warmly, "Yeah. I guess she is."

"So where's your dad? Does he work late?" He asked without hesitation. I forgot that no one knew about the accident here. I knew that the question would come up but it still stumped me when people asked about him. How can you tell someone that one of the people you loved most in the world died because of you? That it was your fault.

"I…um…he died a few years ago in a car crash." I said quietly, the pain from that fateful evening still raw inside of me. Immediately his eyes filled with a look I had seen countless times; the look that everyone gave me when they heard.

"Oh. Cammie, I'm so sorry. I had no idea." He explained, squeezing my hand.

"No. It's fine. I knew you'd ask me soon enough. It's just hard saying it to people. In my old town it was easier because everyone already knew but here…"

"No one knows what happened." He finished for me. "If you don't mind me asking, is that why you have anxiety? Because you're dad died?"

I looked questioningly at him. "I saw you ask for some pills at the pharmacy the day you arrived." He explained.

"Oh. Right. Yeah, kind of" I replied, not wanting to tell him the full truth of what happened. For some reason that felt too personal to share right now. "Anyway. Can you tell me where we're going now?"

Relief flooded his eyes as I changed the subject. "That, I cannot reveal. It's a surprise."

"Really? A surprise? No offence but I've only been here a couple weeks and I'm pretty sure I've seen all there is to see in this obscurely plain town." I teased.

"Obscurely plain town? Well Miss I-Know-Everything-About-Roseville-And-I've-Only-Been-Here-Two-Weeks, prepare to be surprised." He announced, grinning.

"I look forward to it." I challenged. After about 10 minutes, we had arrived in the town centre and he had asked me to tie my scarf around my eyes.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, laughing. So far I had nearly tripped over 5 times and would have probably hurt myself if it weren't for Josh guiding me.

"Just a few more steps, okay. And…we're here. Okay, you can take your blindfold off now." Slowly unravelling the piece of material, I gasped at the sight in front of me. It was a white gazebo decorated with fairy lights, surrounded by flowers of all kinds. In the middle was a picnic blanket with plates of pizza on either end. "So. Do you like it? I decided to go Italian in the end."

"I love it, Josh." I said smiling. "It's perfect."

The moments after that seemed to go so fast, I felt like we had been talking for minutes instead of hours. I learnt about the pressure Josh has from his dad on inheriting the pharmacy, when all he wants to do is play football. I learnt about his struggle to maintain the "cool guy" reputation and all his likes and dislikes. I in turn talked to him about all the feelings I felt joining a new school and what my life used to be like before the accident. In that moment, everything felt right and I didn't want it to end.

"I broke my arm there, " he said, pointing to the monkey bars in the park across the road. Then he blushed. "It was a real rumble- bodies everywhere- you should have seen the other guy."

I smiled, "Oh, sounds wild."

"As wild as anything in Roseville ever gets." He laughed. "My mom totally freaked out. She was screaming and trying to drag me into the car." He chuckled, then ran a hand through his wavy hair. "She's a little high maintenance."

We laughed together, soaking up the peaceful evening air. "It's ten to ten. We should probably get going. Don't want our high-maintenance moms to start worrying."

I pouted then, "Aw do we have to?"

He laughed at my expression before saying; "You're cute when you pout like that." At this point his gaze drifted between my eyes and lips and before I knew it he was leaning closer to me. Déjà vu filled me as a green-eyed boy flashed in my mind. Before I could pull away his plump lips softly grazed against mine, igniting a tingly feeling in me and I couldn't stop myself. It was like our lips had a brain of their own and we couldn't stop until we had to come up for air.

"Wow." He breathed, placing his forehead against my own.

"Ditto." I said, smiling widely.

"We have to do that again sometime." He exclaimed.

I laughed happily, "I wouldn't argue with that."

The journey back home was filled with a lot of smiling and hand touching. He walked me to my door and sent me off with a goodnight kiss, officially making my brain turn into mush. Quietly, I said goodnight to my mom who begged for details that I didn't give and made my way up to my room. When I opened my door, I noticed that the balcony doors weren't shut properly and moved over to them. Before I could close them, a broad figure moved across the room on the building opposite and it took me a few seconds to realise that that broad figure was Zach. So that's how he'd been watching me. I wonder how many times he'd seen me through there. Feeling slightly creeped out, I closed the doors properly and shut the curtains. Hah. He couldn't see in any longer. Not long after, I crawled into bed and sighed happily, dreaming about my hazel-eyed date and what was to come. 

AN: JUST A NOTE! I KNOW PRETTY LITTLE LIARS HAS FINISHED AND EVERYTHING BUT I JUST HAD TO INCLUDE A REFERENCE BECAUSE...IT'S ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS EVER DUHH! I hope you liked the chapter even if you're a Zammie fan! Would love some feedback. Okay, thats all. BYEE! XX


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: HELLO FELLOW GALLAGHER GIRL FANS! I am SO SO SO SORRY for the long wait and i'm also sorry for the short chapter but just know i have lots of things in store. In this chapter you learn a little bit more of Cam's story and it is nowhere near finished yet! Keep reading as next chapter will be the juiciest one yet! I'M SO EXCITED JUST THINKING ABOUT WRITING IT! Annddd... it's half term coming up next week which means plenty of time to write write write. Thank you to anyone who reviewed/liked/followed. I've decided i'm going to start replying to any i receive so scroll down to the bottom :)) Also special shoutout to CammieAMorgan- she is an absolute legend and has been helping me through my writer's block. Go read her new story 'Something Missing' if you haven't already its AMAZINGGGG. OK- Enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE GALLAGHER SERIES OR CHARACTERS :(**

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the feeling of sunlight on my face. Today would be a good day, I thought to myself, as I recounted the events of last night. His dreamy brown eyes floated into my mind as I remembered the feel of his strawberry lips against my own. A text chimed from my phone.

'Please tell me last night wasn't a dream.'

I grinned widely. 'Which part? The bit where you kissed me or the bit where you ran over my cat with your car?'

'I KILLED YOUR CAT? :O'

'Poor Suzie. She didn't know what hit her… Buried her this morning'

'Tell Suzie she's a lucky cat. For having you as an owner I mean ;)'

'Well, I would if she wasn't dead' I replied, laughing as if he were here with me. Engrossed in texting Josh, I didn't notice the sound of light 'pings' against my balcony door, until I heard a thud and a groan coming from behind it. Wondering what it could be I cautiously made my way over and pulled the curtains open, revealing a pair of scrunched up green eyes.

"Zach? What are you doing on my balcony?" I asked incredulously.

"Well… I tried throwing pebbles at your door but you didn't tell me you need a hearing aid." He replied, clutching his funny bone. "When you wouldn't reply I decided to take matters into my own hands but I landed on my elbow."

Amused at the writhing ball in front of me, I started laughing.

"Gallagher Girl," he groaned. "Stop bullying me!"

Regaining my composure, I helped him stand up. "Once again, Zach. Exactly why did you feel the need to jump across here when you could have just texted me." I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just wanted to see if you needed a ride to school this morning. Eliza's gone with a friend so I don't have to do the primary school run." Zach explained, shooting me a lopsided grin that could make any girl melt.

"Yeah, why not? I was just gonna walk but I guess I could save my legs a trip. Let me get ready. I'll be down in 20 minutes." I replied, shutting the doors (and curtains) on him before getting ready. I threw on a pair of leggings and a maroon coloured jumper before putting on some light eyeshadow and placing my hair into a French plait. Before long, we had already arrived at school where I saw the girls waiting for me. Torture session here I come…

"CAMMIE! TELL US EVERYTHING!" Macey screamed as she, Bex and Lizzie pounced on me.

"Okay, Okay. But only if you stop fangirling on me!" I exclaimed jokily. Before I could say anything else a pair of arms wrapped around me and picked me up off the floor.

"Morning, beautiful." Josh said as he spun me round to face him before dipping his lips to mine, leaving me breathless.

"Morning." I sighed with a goofy grin on my face. "What are you doing here? Don't you have places to be?"

"The only place I need to be is standing right here with you. And plus, if I didn't walk you to your homeroom, there would be no one to protect you from all the guys trying to steal you from me" Josh replied.

"I guess you're my new bodyguard then. Although you're not as good-looking as my last one and he had way bigger muscles than you…" I teased.

"Oh is that so? Well I guess I'll just have to prove myself to you then." He said before picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder, taking me all the way to my classroom. "Was that enough evidence for you, m'lady?"

"Hmmm…well I think I need to test how good at kissing you are since my old bodyguard was a solid 10/10." I smiled slyly.

"10 out of 10, huh? He must've been one hell of a kisser." He replied, pulling me closer to him until our lips met sweetly, sending fireworks through my body. "How did I do?"

"A solid thousand" I whispered into his ear before running to my seat and watching him wave goodbye. Before long, the day was over and yet again detention was cancelled because Madame Dabney was bed-stricken with a fever. I would have gone to see Josh but he had football practice, leaving me with a lot of explaining to do.

"Camster! Let's get a move on otherwise Macey will have our heads!" Bex shouted, about to get in the front seat.

"I'M DRIVING THIS TIME. No more life-risking for me thanks." I replied, jumping over the car bonnet and climbing in before her. As soon as we arrived at Macey's, she ushered us into her 'den' where the guys were playing video games.

"So Cammie. Since you've been avoiding us all day. PLEASE tell us what happened! You're killing us." Macey whimpered.

"Yeah! WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT WAS THAT THIS MORNING?" Bex squealed.

"Are you his girlfriend?" Lizzie asked excitedly.

"No I'm not his girlfriend and I don't know what this morning was either. But one thing I do know is that last night was…magical." I sighed, smiling giddily at the memory, producing a chorus of squeals and "aww"s. "He's so kind and understanding and everyone underestimates him. I know he's had a playboy reputation in the past…but…I really think he's changed. The whole night was amazing. He's amazing!"

"Cammie. If you're happy, I'm happy. And for the record… I'm high on happiness right now!" Bex exclaimed, pulling me into a hug.

"Me too." Macey replied, joining us.

"Me three." Lizzie announced, completing our group hug. We stayed like this for a few moments until loud shouts came from the boys.

"What the hell is your problem, Zach? It's only a game!" Grant shouted.

"It's not the game I'm mad at." Zach replied through gritted teeth.

"Guys, come on, relax. Let's all just chill out." Nick exclaimed, placing himself between them.

"What is going on here?" Macey asked, glaring at them all. "You do not need to raise your voices at each other!"

"What happened?" Bex asked, placing a hand on Grant's shoulder.

Glaring angrily at Zach, he replied, "Why don't you ask Mr. Bipolar over there?"

"Zach?" I asked cautiously, moving slowly towards him. Looking him in the eye, I saw an emotion I recognised well -the feeling of hurt- and decided it must be something to do with his home life. Suddenly, Zach looked away and walked out the room muttering that he 'couldn't do this anymore'.

"Cam- don't. Just let him be alone for a while." Jonas instructed, moving to close the door. After Zach left, there was a different atmosphere in the room and no one talked much. Once an hour had passed, I decided I needed to talk to him. I couldn't just let him be alone when he needed someone to comfort him. After getting home I pulled open the balcony doors and texted Zach to come outside.

"What is it Cammie?" He asked, avoiding my eyes. For a few moments we stood in silence, me trying to decide what to say to him.

"I just wanted to tell you that you're not alone, okay. I'm right here if you need anything. Don't bottle up your feelings Zach. I tried once and trust me when I say it didn't turn out good." I offered, before turning to make my way inside when he hadn't said anything for a few minutes.

"What happened?" He asked timidly.

Wondering whether to tell him or not, I realised that if anyone could understand my situation- it would be Zach and that at this point I had nothing left to lose… "My dad died. That's what happened. And I had to spend everyday trying to convince myself that it wasn't my fault. But it didn't work. So one day I went to the top of Wicker Bridge and…" I paused, trying to contain the tears that were about to fall down my face. Realising I was about to cry, Zach leaped across to my balcony and held me in his arms, catching me as my legs gave way and I started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Sssshh. It's okay, Cammie. You don't have to tell me. You're here now- that's all that matters, okay?" He said, rocking me back and forth.

"N-no Zach. I have to tell y-you. I can't let the same thing happen again." I explained through breaths, clutching on to him as if I were five and he was my teddy bear. "I w-went to the bridge and put my l-legs over the railings. I was going to do it, Zach. I was nearly going to l-leave my mom alone just so I could s-stop the pain. And it was a-all because I b-bottled up my feelings. Don't do it Zach. Don't leave us."

"I'm not going anywhere, Gallagher Girl." He whispered in my ear, "Not as long as you're around." I don't know how long we stayed like that or what happened next. All I remember is the feel of Zach's strong arms around me, protecting me against all my monsters. Keeping me safe.

 **A/N: So Cammie tried to commit suicide but didn't go through with it- what made her this way? And what happened to make Zach storm out of the room like that? Check soon for the next chapter to find out more!**

 **SO I'M TAKING THE REVIEWS RIGHT BACK TO THE VERY START. HERE WE GO...**

 **Smiles180: Thank you so much for all your reviews. You're so honest and loyal in you're reviewing and it honestly makes my day every time you do. I hope you liked this chapter. There was a little bit of Jammie but yes, this is definitely a ZAMMIE story- after Cammie shares some of her past they get even closer and some action between them occurs in a few chapters time too xxx**

 **GryffindorQueen101: Updated! Hope you liked it. Thank you for the support :) xxx**

 **CammieAMorgan: Thank you xxx you're bloody amazing ahh**

 **Sophie Zielonka: I'm glad you liked it so much! Hope you enjoyed this chapter xxx**

 **RocksRain3: Thank you :) Me too! I'm going to try and make his non-spy life as corrupted as his spy-life is in the books. I think it'll make his relationship to Eliza even more important. xxx**

 **(I think your name used to be ): I don't even know if you'll read this since it says your account is deleted but if you are THANKYOU so much for your reviews. They made my day 10X better. Say hi if you're still on this site xxx**

 **ANY GUESTS: THANK YOU. YOUR REVIEWS MAKE ME WANT TO KEEP ON WRITING! xxx**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: HI EVERYONE! I am so sorry i haven't updated lately. GCSE's are coming up soon and mocks are in just a few weeks. As much as i want to upload i have so much coursework and practice papers etc that i haven't had time and probably won't for the next month or so. HOWEVER- it is the christmas holidays soon! Which means more time to write. This chapter is pretty intense and is not PG so bewarned about that. I tried a bit of a different POV this time so i hope you like it and also It was my first attempt at hardcore fluff so sorry if it's at all cringe or bad- i'm still learning! Next chapter will be a juicy one too- I can't wait to write it as soon as i get time! For now, i hope this chapter is enough. Apologies again xxx**

 **Zach POV:**

My alarm sounded loudly through the air, waking me up from my sleep. An image popped into my mind. The image of a person with luscious golden locks and blue eyes the colour of the ocean. One word. _Cammie._ I sighed to myself as I remembered the feeling of her body cradled in my arms. How long is it going to take her for her to realise how special she is to me. It kills me every time I see her with that pig Jimmy but I can't tell her how I really feel. They've been going out for a month now and she's become the most popular person in school. You would think that so much popularity would change someone- turn them into someone they're not. Not Cammie. She's still the same amazing, kind, beautiful person she had been when she first came here. That's one of the things I love about her. Not that she knows that. I could never ruin the happiness she has, even if it is with Josh. He helps her cope with her anxiety when I can't and for that at least I'm grateful to him.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

I look over to see Cammie grinning at me from her balcony. God she was so beautiful. She really was going to be the death of me.

 _'Open your doors'_ she mouthed.

 _'I can't be bothered.'_ I answered back before burying my face in my pillow. A few moments of silence passed and I slowly felt myself falling back to sleep. Before I could, my sheets were thrown off me and I came face to face with ocean blue eyes.

"How did you even get in here without me noticing?" I asked incredulously.

"I'm a secretly trained spy." she replied with a smug look on her face, "Come on sleepy head. It's your turn to drive to school today and we can't be late. I promised Josh I would go with him to the library."

"The library? Since when did the captain of the football team study books?" I said, pulling my pants on and taking off my shirt.

"Goode, if you don't stop insulting my boyfriend I'm going to-"

"You're going to what, Gallagher Girl?" I replied, looking up from trying to find my shirt. "Like what you see?" I smirked, noticing her staring at my six-pack.

"Umm…I…You know…" Cammie stuttered, "See you outside in 10 minutes" she squeaked before jumping back over to her balcony. Maybe I did have an affect on her after all I thought to myself cockily. It didn't take very long for me to get ready and before long we'd dropped Eliza off at her first school and gotten to ours all in the space of 20 minutes: perks of living in a small town I guess.

"Babe!" Josh shouted from across the parking lot. Cammie's face lit up as she saw him running towards her and she went across to join him where they met with a kiss. Just looking at them made my toes curl.

"Bye Zach. See you after school!" Cammie shouted over her shoulder before going inside. One day, I thought to myself longingly.

"Dude! You are seriously whipped man. I mean- you look like a little girl whose puppy just died. Why don't you just tell her already?" Grant asked, appearing out of thin air.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I denied, making my way into school.

"Don't give me that bullshit man. You like her. Just tell her already. It's driving me nuts and Bex too for that matter- it's all she goes on about."

"It's not as simple as that, Grant. She's got a boyfriend and she's happy. I'm not going to be the one to ruin that for her." I explained.

"Whatever you wanna do, man. But it's going to be way more awkward if she finds out from someone other than you." He replied before walking away. Maybe he had a point. Maybe I should just come clean. But I can't because that could mean jeopardising our relationship and I don't know what I would do without her…

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. It was one of those boring days where I didn't have classes with any of my friends and time passed so slowly. The end of the day was lacrosse practice since my detention with Cammie had finished. The boys and I had been reigning champions of Lacrosse County for 4 years running. Together, no one could beat us. After an intense session of training, we all went back to the changing rooms, before grabbing showers. I was the last one to leave and was packing my stuff when I heard the football player scum walk into the room.

"Man. Do you even know what you're doing? Please tell me you've done something other than kissing this past month." Tyler whined. "You know it doesn't count unless you take away her virginity."

"Shut up asshole. Of course I know what I'm doing. Why'd you think I've stayed with her this long? I get to say I've banged the headmistress's daughter whilst also passing AP English. It's a win-win situation." Josh replied cockily. "Man she's a hard one to crack though. Every time we start crossing first base she just freezes and says her mom will be home soon."

"Well hurry up and make her fall in love with you or the bet's off. If you don't sleep with her by the end of the week, it won't go in the book and you owe us all $50." Ashton sniggered. I felt my blood boil. That was Cammie they were talking about. My Cammie. Suddenly, all I could see was red. My instincts took over and before I knew it I was ramming into Josh, knocking us through the door to the main corridor. I didn't care how much trouble I got into. My fists had a mind of their own and however many I threw, the red wouldn't go away. I didn't stop until I heard a familiar voice screaming my name.

"ZACH! STOP! ZACH STOP IT! ZACH!" Cammie screamed, whilst trying to pull me away. My split second of weakness was all it took for Josh's football gang to pull me off of him. "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING, JACKASS?" She shouted, looking at me with pure hatred.

"I- Cammie- You don't understand. He-"

"He what, Zach? Because from my point of view it looks like he's the only one who got hurt. Why would you do that?"

"HE'S USING YOU! I overheard him talking about you in the locker room. I was just defending you!" I tried to explain.

"Is that true, Josh?" She asked, watching him as he wiped the blood from his face.

"He's lying to you Cammie. I never said anything like that. You can ask the guys. They were with me." He said before looking me straight in the eye.

"He's telling the truth Cams. One minute we were just talking and the next Zach just pounced on him." Tyler announced.

"Cammie. Listen to me. They're not telling the tru-"

"Save it, Zach. Don't ever come anywhere near me or my boyfriend again." Cammie replied with tears falling freely down her face. "Let's go Josh." Just like that she was walking away from me. And I had no way of stopping her.

 **Cammie POV:**

I couldn't believe Zach. He was meant to be my best friend. Why would he do that to Josh? He knows how I feel about him. Not only did Zach start a fight with my boyfriend but he lied to my face too. Normally I would give him a second chance considering his home life but I can't just keep using that as an excuse for him. He took it too far this time.

"Okay, you're all patched up. Now would you mind telling me what happened, hunny?" The nurse asked Josh.

"A boy named Zach Goode-"

"They were at football practice and things got a little rough. I've told my mom already." I interrupted before Josh could say anything. Zach can't afford having more detention. After all, he still has Eliza to look after and I can't just let them suffer. Josh looked at me weirdly. I'd tell him later.

"Well, if you say so. Just take it easy, okay?" She replied before sending us on our way. I decided to take Josh back to my house so I could keep an eye on him for a little bit, just until his parents got home. My mom was away on a course, so I had the house to myself for the night.

"Why did you not tell her the truth?" Josh asked, speaking for the first time in hours. "Do you like Zach too? Is that it?"

"What? No. Of course not! After what he just pulled, I'm not going to be involved with him in any way from now on." I replied.

"Then why did you defend him?" He asked, watching me closely.

"It's complicated, okay? Zach hasn't got the best life at home. He can't afford to have detention. I can't tell you anything about it, but trust me. You're the only one I want to be with." I explained, moving closer to him.

"Really?"

"Yes. You're the only one." I answered before kissing him softly on the lips. After a few seconds he began to kiss back, his tongue asking for entrance into mine. Things began to get more heated as he moved his hands slowly down my body. Before I knew it, he was taking both our tops off, placing gentle kisses on my collarbone. _I want this._ I thought to myself. _Zach's not around anymore. I can finally let go of him._

"Are you sure?" He asked as I tugged on his jeans.

Afraid of what I might say if I spoke, I kissed him even more forcefully. His hands helped me take off my remaining clothes whilst I searched his pockets for what we needed. Not wasting any time, he placed it on swiftly and kissed me gently. I can't believe I was actually doing this. But I needed to prove to him that he was the only one I wanted. He is the only one I want… Holding me close, I let myself become lost in his actions and the slow movement of our bodies becoming one.

"Cammie." He moaned. "I love you."

"I-I love you too." I replied, willing myself to let go of what I once felt so I could focus on the person who was with me. Right now.

 **A/N: Replying to comments... Thank you to anyone who reviewed/favourited/followed :)**

 **Guest- Thank you for your review! I didn't realise my writing could make people so emotional and also i hope you're all good and happy! I'm open to chat if you want. I'm a good listener :) xxx**

 **4EverAGallagherGirl- Thank you for your review! Hope you liked this chapter xxx**

 **RocksRain3- You guessed right haha! It turns out Josh is the biggest jerk. I can't wait for next chapter when Cammie sees his true side; its all going down. And about the Zammie- me too! I really wanted to make sure their characters were always connected in some way, so i hope i've done that. Glad you like it xxx**

 **Sophie Zielonka- Aww thank you :) I'm so so sorry about the long wait AGAIN. I'm terrible i know i know. I hope you liked the chapter! xxx**

 **GallagherGirl33- YAY! Welcome to the New Beginnings story- i hope you like it :) I'm glad you like the bits of Jammie because i was worried most people would hate it considering its Josh instead of Zach. Are you a Jammie or Zammie fan? xxx**

 **CammieAMorgan- You so did! Your advice is what made these chapters so good haha. It makes me so happy that you like this story :) xxx**

 **Flash 2.0- PLEASE DON'T DIE. I HOPE YOU'RE NOT READING THIS AS A GHOST! Thank you for your reviews- it made me smile so much. Not the you dying part though! Hope you liked this chapter. Sorry for the long wait xxx**


	9. Chapter 9

**HI Readers! I apologise yet again for the slow update! Balancing fanfic as well as GCSE's and everything else life brings, it's been hard keeping on top of everything. BUT i have finally done it and there's a juicy chapter waiting to be read so i won't talk long. Just thought i'd mention the amazing CammieAMorgan yet again who helped write the first part of this- you're an angel! That's all- I hope you like it. Sorry, it's not my best writing but i do love the Zammie in this chapter. It's cheesy and full on and everything you probably wouldn't want in a story but hey ho- i'm learning. ENJOY! :) xx**

Cammie POV:

At least that's what nearly happened. I didn't realise what I did next would turn out the way it did…

 _10 hours before_

"Yes. You're the only one." I answered before kissing him softly on the lips. After a few seconds he began to kiss back, his tongue asking for entrance into mine. Things began to get more heated as he moved his hands slowly down my body. Before I knew it, he was taking both our tops off, placing gentle kisses on my collarbone. _I want this._ I thought to myself. _Zach's not around anymore. I can finally let go of him._

"Are you sure?" He asked as I tugged on his jeans.

Afraid of what I might say if I spoke, I kissed him even more forcefully. Josh's hand began to skate down my body. Not the feather light touches that I hoped for, but aggressive, rushed actions like I was a prize he needed to claim. Just like that, a switch went off in my head and warning alarms sounded. I could no longer lose myself in his actions but became aware of how hurried it was all becoming.

"Stop" I muttered, trying to shake him off me. His grip tightened.

"What's wrong babe?" He snapped.

"Just…please…get off of me" I replied, pushing his shoulders away and ripping us apart. I immediately got my jumper on and clambered into my leggings.

"What the fuck? I thought you wanted this! You were practically begging me two seconds ago!" He exclaimed, anger lighting his eyes.

"I do…I do want you but…not like this". The realisation that I was going to have sex with a boy I'd only known a month with Zach right next door turned my stomach into knots. "I'm just…not ready"

"You were ready 2 fucking minutes ago!"

"Please, Josh. Can't we just…watch a movie or something?"

"I don't want to watch a fucking movie!" He shouted, his temper raising.

"Josh-please"

"For Fuck sake Cammie! What is it with you and your games? Do you enjoy leading guys on? Is that what you do? Fuck with our minds?"

"No. Of course not, Josh-"

"I was about to tell you that I loved you, did you know that? I thought you were ready to be with me. All of you. I was wrong."

"What? Josh. I…I lo-"

"Save it Cammie. I don't want to hear it. Maybe that's why your dad isn't around. You're mum fucked him over as well." As soon as the words left his mouth I felt a cold chill run down my spine and tears prick my eyes. He didn't know the truth about my dad… he doesn't know what **I** did.

"Get. Out." I hissed. He wouldn't move. "GET OUT!" I screamed grabbing the closest object I could find and hurling it at his head.

"What the fuck you crazy bitch?" He shouted, slamming the door and storming out the house. My insides felt hollow. My heart felt like it had been ripped out my chest and stamped on continuously. How could Josh say that about my mom? My dad? All I wanted was for Zach to hold me, just like he did that night on the balcony. But I can't. He hates me. And that fact alone broke me; that I had lost my best friend to someone who could never compare to him. I looked through my doors to the balcony across from me. His curtains were shut. The ones which were always open just in case I needed him. Falling to the floor, I cried myself to sleep. This time I didn't have anyone to keep me safe from my monsters. I was alone. And it was all my fault.

 _10 hours later_

"Cammie! What are you doing on the floor?" Bex exclaimed, waking me from my sleep. Groggily, I opened my eyes.

"Bex? What are you doing here?" I asked warily- I must look like a wreck.

"Jesus Christ you look like a wreck. What happened?" She asked, cautiously making her way over to me. "Cammie?"

As I looked into her loving eyes, I couldn't hold back my feelings anymore and I broke, telling her about everything that happened.

"I'm. Going. To. Kill. That. Boy" Bex hissed, clenching her fists until her knuckles went white.

"Bex- calm down. It's…It's fine, okay? Just leave it alone."

"No. He disrespected your dad, Cammie. He knows how sensitive you are about that subject. God he should have known better! Get dressed. Now. We're going to school." She argued before walking out the room to call Macey. Not long after I tidied myself up, we arrived at school where Macey and Liz came rushing to meet me with hugs.

"Cam. I swear to god I will hurt that boy until he's begging for mercy." Macey whispered in my ear.

"Yeah. I am soooo ready to hack into the school files and get him expelled." Liz added in the most malicious tone she could muster.

"Thanks guys." I replied, smiling weakly. Suddenly a voice shouted out in the air "SLUT".

"Come on Cam lets go inside" Bex suggested before leading me indoors where I was met with dirty looks and harsh remarks.

"SLAG"

"LOSER"

"Guys?" I asked close to tears. What's happening? Did I do something wrong?

"Don't worry Cammie. I'm sure its just one of those phases." Macey muttered, sharing worried looks with Liz and Bex. As we made our way to homeroom I felt my confidence shrink with every step I took, it was like I was a disease and everyone was trying to stay as far away from me as they could. So many emotions and thoughts swirled through my mind, yet I couldn't think of one reason why people were saying these things about me. Then I saw him, looking down at the floor, sad and miserable. And for a moment I let myself believe that he only said those things in the heat of the moment. That he didn't mean anything he said. So, I started to make my way over to him.

"Cammie-don't! I'll deal with that son of a-" Bex started. I turned back round, grabbing onto her arm.

"Bex. It's okay. You don't need to do that. I'm going to go over and talk to him."

"WHAT? Cammie. Did you just forget what he said to you?" She huffed.

"No. But I think some things were said that weren't meant to be. I overreacted a lot and I feel really bad for it."

"CAMERON!"

"BEX! Stop! I'm fine. I'll see you guys in homeroom." I stated before taking a deep breath and walking over to him and his group of friends.

"What's up whore?" Taylor sneered. Ignoring him I looked over at Josh with pleading eyes.

"Josh can I talk to you." I asked. "Alone."

His piercing blue eyes looked at me sceptically before replying, "Anything you need to say to me you can say in front of the guys."

"Fine. I just came to apologise for the way I reacted last night. You said some hurtful things and I hurt you and-"

His throaty laugh sounded through the air, "What are you talking about?"

"What do you mean? You hurt me and I hurt you and"

"Are you hearing this boys?" He chuckled. "Babe… you didn't hurt me one bit. I don't give a shit about you or your pathetic feelings."

"What? But you looked so sad and I-"

"The only reason I looked sad was because I lost the bet. Since you were such a frigid bitch, I never got to sleep with you. Meaning I lost 300 dollars. Now everyone knows what the real you looks like…a sad desperate loser. "

My heart stopped. It was all just a game? Everything we said to one another, everything we had…was a lie. Suddenly I feel tears prick at my eyes. A rush of heat whooshes through my body like a forest fire. _Not again. Please not now._

"I…I have to-" I couldn't breathe. The walls were closing in on me. _Get out of there Cammie._ Stumbling, I ran into the closest room I could find and sank to the floor. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't swallow. All I could do was think about the boy who had betrayed me and how quickly my throat was closing up. _Help! Somebody please help_ … As a result of my blurry eyesight and fuzzy hearing I didn't realise anyone was in the room with me until they placed their hands on either side of my face. Slowly I opened my eyes and saw the emerald green that I cared for so much.

"Zach?" I choked, still struggling for air.

"Gallagher Girl, I'm here. Calm down. Take deep breaths."

"I'm having a p-panic attack." I whispered, tears streaming down my face.

"Just try and think about something else. Anything else." He replied worriedly.

"Like what?" I breathed.

"Happy things. Good things. Uhh- friends. Family." I looked at him despairingly. _Dad. "_ Argh I mean- not family."

I started to feel very lightheaded and grabbed onto Zach for stability.

"Shit! Um… Just try and slow your breathing." He offered, taking breaths with me. Nothing would work.

"I…I c-can't" I gasped. "I c-can't"

"Sshh Cammie, look at me." He whispered, " Cammie look at me."

Every word he said became fainter and fainter. I just wanted to let go.

"Sssh…Cammie…stay awake…Cammie" he breathed before looking at my lips and planting his own against them. My breath hitched in my throat as I stared at his closed eyes in shock. Zach was kissing me. Zachary Lewis Goode. My best friend. After getting past the initial feeling of surprise I sank into the kiss, enjoying the feeling of safe and comfort he brought with him. A few seconds later we pulled apart slowly, staring intently into eachother's eyes.

"Wh- How did you do that?" I asked gently.

"I..uh…I read once that if you hold your breath you could stop a panic attack." He explained. "So…when I kissed you…uh…you held your breath."

"I did?"

"You did." He whispered, smiling gently at me.

"Thanks." I replied.

"Anytime Gallagher Girl." He answered before cradling me to his body. We stayed like this for a few minutes before I decided to speak.

"Zach?" I asked sitting up.

"Yeah?"

"I'm so sorry about everything that-"

"No. Cammie. I should be the one apologising. I had no right to do that to Josh. It's not like you're my girlfriend or-"

"Zach. Please just let me speak." I whispered, "I am so so sorry for not listening to you. You were- are my best friend and I shouldn't have just jumped to conclusions without hearing your side of the story. It's just- I didn't want to lose Josh. He…he made me feel like I was worth living. He made me feel alive and I didn't want to accept that he could do something so horrid. And-"

"Are you finished?" He asked smirking. "Cammie. You don't need someone to make you feel like you're worth living. You are special just the way you are and I can't believe you don't see it everyday. You are the most selfless, most amazing, smart, beautiful girl I have ever met and a douchebag like Josh doesn't deserve to be in your company. You deserve to live your life to the fullest, by your terms and conditions. Every single piece of you is worth living. Hell I don't think I would even be able to live without you in my life. So for god's sake please break up with the guy because I can't stand the way you look at him. He's nothing compared to you."

I stared at him in shock for the second time that day. I never would have thought that Zach thinks that of me. It made me realise just how special I was being able to call him my friend. "When did I get so lucky?"

He smiled at me lovingly, "You're not the one who got lucky."

"Josh and I broke up last night." I sobbed. "It turns out you were right. Our whole relationship was a lie based on some stupid bet. I wouldn't sleep with him because I felt like I was betraying you. I just couldn't do it. And then…he started calling me a frigid bitch and how my dad left because my mum fucked him over too. I just c-can't believe I f-fell for him."

"I swear Cam I will finish what I started. That mother-" He muttered before moving to get up.

"Zach. Don't. He's not worth it. Besides, I don't want you getting hurt."

"Don't worry about me Gallagher Girl. I can take care of myself." He reasoned.

I walked over to him and cupped his face in my hands, "I know you can. But for me, just let him be ignored like the dirt he is. You don't deserve your time getting wasted on him."

"But-"

"No buts. Come on let's get to class. We've wasted enough time as it is." I replied, grabbing his hand and leading him outside. Just as we were about to go into the classroom he pulled me aside.

"Cammie? Just…just know that I'm always going to be here for you. Whatever problems you have are my problems. I don't want you to ever think that your alone, okay? Promise me you'll tell me if something's wrong. Promise me."

Taking in his words I reached up and kissed him on the cheek. " I promise." Walking into the classroom with Zach by my side made me feel like nothing could hurt me. It made me feel worthy. That I could face the disgusted looks and remarks from my classmates. Because as long as I had him, and my mom and my friends. I'd be okay. Even if it meant everyone else in the school hated me.

 **REPLIES:**

 **Smiles180- YES WAY. But they didn't really "seal the deal" i hope that's okay with you. Most people preferred it if they didn't and i think it turned out better this way. Hope you liked it xx**

 **CammieAMorgan- Hope you liked how this chapter turned out. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP YET AGAIN! xx**

 **4EverAGallagherGirl- Yeah...It was quite irrational of her to just deny Zach so quickly but she just didn't want to believe that her boyfriend could ever do such a thing. Me too! It makes me feel less bad about hating Josh so much haha. Hope you liked this chapter xx**

 **Flash 2.0- Still alive i hope? :) I love Zach's protectiveness over Cammie even though they're just friends (for now...). You'll see a lot more of his caring side and back story soon! Hope you liked xx**

 **Priya- I guess this chapter answered your question but if it was confusing, yes she is still a virgin xx**

 **Guest- Your wish is my command and you'll find out more about Zach's backstory soon enough! Sorry about the Cammie denial, i just thought it would bring more tension to the characters. And don't worry, i plan on there being a lot more chapters :) xx**

 **Sophie Zielonka: You'll just have to keep on reading to find out. This chapter definitely made Cammie realise a few things... as to what she realised you'll have to find out next chapter...sorry hehe xx**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: HI EVERYONE! I'm really sorry I haven't updated in ABSOLUTE AGES. I've been really busy with school and all that shiz. I honestly can't wait for the summer. Anyway, I thought i would do a chapter in Zach's POV to give you a bit more of his backstory. It isn't much but all will be revealed with time so hang in there! Next chapter will be the start of the relationship you've all been waiting for... I hope this chapter is enough for now. Have a nice week :)**

Zach POV:

 _A few moments after Cammie walked away…_

I stood there, looking like an idiot, watching the person I cared about most in this world (aside from Eliza) walking away from me once again. What have I done? As I watched her cradling her boyfriend, I knew that this time…this time I had lost her for good.

"Woah! Woah! Back it up guys! Get outta here!" Nick shouted, glaring at anyone who stared for longer than two seconds. Grant ran in front of me, taking hits at the football players who were still trying to pick a fight with me and Jonas rushed to my side to see if I had any injuries. I felt numb all over. Weak.

"Zach, are you alright? What the hell happened?" Jonas asked once all the commotion had died down.

"Yeah man. We left you for like 5 minutes." Grant added.

"The football team has a betting book. Josh was just using Cammie." I started, anger simmering behind every word I spoke. "I couldn't just sit there and do nothing. I tried telling her but of course she believed her boyfriend and his thugs who told her I was lying."

"I'm gonna kick that puny ass of his until he's screaming for his mom." Grant muttered under his breath.

"She said she never wants to see me again." I whispered, my voice cracking.

"Look, we can back you up man. I think she was just a bit shocked. You should try talking to her tomorrow when everything's calmed down." Nick offered gently, patting me on the back.

"Yeah come on buddy. Let's get you home." Grant said, leading me outside the school with Nick and Jonas by our sides. No one was home when I arrived. I sank on my bed, contemplating my thoughts when movement from outside the window caught my eye. Josh and Cammie kissing each other. Pained, I walked over to my curtains and closed them. Normally I left them open just in case she needed me but I guess there was no need for that any longer. Slowly, I went back to my bed and shut my eyes, willing for everything to go back in time.

 _A few hours later…_

I was awoken by a loud thud coming from downstairs.

"OPEN THE DOOR ZACHARY! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" a voice shouted. "I'VE LOST MY KEYS. OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!"

"Shit!" I swore, "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit." She had to come today of all days. I glanced at my watch and realised Eliza was meant to come home in half an hour. That only gave me 30 minutes to get rid of her. Running down the staircase, I hesitantly opened the door to find myself staring at angry green eyes identical to my own.

"What took you so long?" She asked, pushing past me forcefully.

"What are you doing here, Catherine?" I asked folding my arms. "You made your intentions perfectly clear last time you visited."

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!" She shouted slapping me across the face. "I am your mother and you respect me!"

"I'm sorry. It's just…what do you want?" I murmured, avoiding her stare.

"I want to see my daughter. At least she isn't as much of a disappointment as you are." She spat before moving to the kitchen to grab another bottle of wine.

"She isn't here. She's at a friends house."

"Well you tell her to get back right now cuz her mommy wants to have a few words with her."

Suddenly my protective side took over and I couldn't stand the thought of anything hurting my baby sister. "No."

Her head snapped towards me in a flurry of anger. "What did you say to me?"

"I said, No. You don't just get to walk back in here whenever you please. Drunk. It's not fair on Eliza. She doesn't understand yet. She's too young." I started, my confidence building with every word I spoke.

"Why you little-"

"Save it, Catherine. You don't belong here anymore. You're never here and you never have been! I've raised Eliza, not you. So please, get out of my house." I exclaimed, moving to open the door before she proceeded to smash the glass bottle over my head. Everything went fuzzy as a red liquid trickled down the side of my face.

"NEVER SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT AGAIN DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU'RE A BASTARD JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER WHO CHOSE JAIL OVER HIS OWN FAMILY. I'M NOT THE BAD GUY HERE. I'M NOT THE ONE WHO LEFT!" She screamed before sinking to the floor in a puddle of tears. Unsure of what to do, I moved to open the door again.

"I think you should go. I don't want Eliza to see you like this again." I muttered coldly.

Glaring up at me with angry eyes she lifted herself up off the floor and moved towards me, "It won't be long before social services pick up that you and Eliza are the only ones here. Joe can't protect you forever. And when they do, let's see how long it takes for them to take away your precious sister." She spat maliciously before stumbling out the door.

As soon as I had heard the stumble of her drunken feet along the sidewalk, I bolted the door and sunk to the ground, holding my throbbing head. Everything she said was right. It wasn't long until the social workers would find out me and Eliza were barely keeping things together. We just had to survive a few more months until I turn 18 and then I could be her legal guardian. Slowly I got to my feet and tried to clean up as much as I could before Eliza came home. I needed to get rid of any evidence Catherine was here. Not long after I had finished, a sweet voice chimed through the air.

"Zachy?"

"Yeah, Eliza. I'm here." I replied, running downstairs to meet her.

"Is everything okay?" She asked with a toothy grin.

"Yeah Lizy. Everything's fine. How was school?" And with that, any concerns of hers disappeared as she entered into a world of her own.

 _The Next Day…_

I made my way into school timidly, not wanting to be caught in an awkward encounter with Cammie or Josh. Keeping my head down, I made my way to my locker where I collected my books. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Josh and his group of thugs laughing at what appeared to be a very confused and upset Cammie. What the hell was going on? I thought they were meant to be the happy couple. Next thing I knew Cammie was running into the janitor's closet with tears streaming down her face, looking like she couldn't breathe. Why wasn't Josh going after her? What did that bastard do this time? Fighting with my conflicted feelings, I wondered whether I should stick to her need for me never to come near her again or to go after the girl I was in love with. Screw it. I'll take the second option, I thought to myself. Running after her, I saw a small body cradled into the corner of the closet, shaking and panting heavily. What was happening to her?

"Cammie" I breathed. Quickly I made my way over to her and cupped the sides of her face. Her closed eyes slowly opened to reveal the beautiful sea blue that I cared for so much.

"Zach?" She choked, her eyes softening slightly.

"Gallagher Girl, I'm here. Calm down. Take deep breaths."

"I'm having a p-panic attack." She whispered, tears streaming down her face. I hated seeing her like this...so- so vulnerable.

"Just try and think about something else. Anything else." I replied worriedly. What does one say to someone when they're having a panic attack?

"Like what?" She asked.

"Happy things. Good things. Uhh- friends. Family." She looked at me sadly. Her dad. _"_ Argh I mean- not family."

A cloudy look passed her eyes and she grabbed on to me as if she couldn't support herself.

"Shit! Um… Just try and slow your breathing." I offered, taking breaths with her. Nothing would work.

"I…I c-can't" She gasped. "I c-can't"

"Sshh Cammie, look at me." I whispered, " Cammie look at me." At this point I don't even think she was taking in anything I was saying. "Sssh…Cammie…stay awake…Cammie" I breathed. My eyes flickered over to her lips and a thought suddenly occurred to me. I pressed my lips against hers. After a few seconds she sank into the kiss and it was everything I wanted it to be. It was sweet yet electric. A few seconds later we pulled apart slowly, staring intently into eachother's eyes.

"Wh- How did you do that?" She asked shocked.

"I..uh…I read once that if you hold your breath you could stop a panic attack." I explained. "So…when I kissed you…uh…you held your breath."

"I did?"

"You did." I whispered, smiling at her softly.

"Thanks." She replied.

"Anytime Gallagher Girl." I answered before pulling her dainty figure to my own. We stayed like this for a few minutes before she spoke.

"Zach?" She asked sitting up.

"Yeah?"

"I'm so sorry about everything that-"

"No. Cammie. I should be the one apologising. I had no right to do that to Josh. It's not like you're my girlfriend or-"

"Zach. Please just let me speak." She argued. "I am so so sorry for not listening to you. You were- are my best friend and I shouldn't have just jumped to conclusions without hearing your side of the story. It's just- I didn't want to lose Josh. He…he made me feel like I was worth living. He made me feel alive and I didn't want to accept that he could do something so horrid. And-"

"Are you finished?" I smirked, cutting her off. "Cammie. You don't need someone to make you feel like you're worth living. You are special just the way you are and I can't believe you don't see it everyday. You are the most selfless, most amazing, smart, beautiful girl I have ever met and a douchebag like Josh doesn't deserve to be in your company. You deserve to live your life to the fullest, by your terms and conditions. Every single piece of you is worth living. Hell I don't think I would even be able to live without you in my life. So for god's sake please break up with the guy because I can't stand the way you look at him. He's nothing compared to you."

She stared at me in shock before suddenly asking, "When did I get so lucky?"

I smiled at her lovingly, "You're not the one who got lucky."

"Josh and I broke up last night." She exclaimed, her eyes turning watery. "It turns out you were right. Our whole relationship was a lie based on some stupid bet. I wouldn't sleep with him because I felt like I was betraying you. I just couldn't do it. And then…he started calling me a frigid bitch and how my dad left because my mum fucked him over too. I just c-can't believe I f-fell for him."

"I swear Cam I will finish what I started. That mother-" I muttered before moving to get up.

"Zach. Don't. He's not worth it. Besides, I don't want you getting hurt."

"Don't worry about me Gallagher Girl. I can take care of myself." I reasoned.

She walked over to me and cupped my face in her hands, "I know you can. But for me, just let him be ignored like the dirt he is. You don't deserve your time getting wasted on him."

"But-"

"No buts. Come on let's get to class. We've wasted enough time as it is." She replied, grabbing my hand and leading us outside. Just as we were about to go into the classroom I pulled her aside. This was it. This time she had to make the promise to me.

"Cammie? Just…just know that I'm always going to be here for you. Whatever problems you have are my problems. I don't want you to ever think that your alone, okay? Promise me you'll tell me if something's wrong. Promise me."

After a few moments she reached up and kissed me on the cheek. " I promise."

Knowing that Cammie was going to be beside me, it felt like things would be alright. I was going to get my act together. Get Joe to help. Me and Eliza were going to be okay. As for Cam and I, who knows? After that kiss, I don't think things can go back to normal. But I do know I'm not going to let her go this time. This time it's our chance. To face the world together.

 **REPLIES: THANKS TO ANY GUEST REVIEWERS/FOLLOWERS TOO!**

 **CammieAMorgan:** Me too- your ideas are gold haha. Hope you liked this chapter. It was slightly different with Zach's POV so I'm not sure whether it worked but hey ho! xx

 **Smiles180:** Glad you liked it :) Sorry that this chapter is a bit repetitive. Next chapter we'll get to see more ZAMMIE...xx

 **4EverAGallagherGirl:** Sorry this chapter doesn't show their relationship progress further but stay tuned because it's gonna happen soon! xx

 **Sophie Zielonka:** They are actually so perfect. I don't think i can name another pair of fictional book character's that work so well together xx

 **Flash 2.0:** Soon, my friend. Hehehe...*evil cackle* xx

 **Lexi:** I hope that was okay for you. When i saw your review asking for it in Zach's POV, i thought it was a great chance for a backstory opening. Thanks for reviewing xx


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hi guys...So, I know i've been MIA for absolute ages and i apologise profusely for that but i'm getting my sh*t together. THIS CHAPTER IS NOT AN ACTUAL CHAPTER But i need your help before I start writing the next chapter. I'm debating whether to set the next chapter right where we left off from the previous one or to set it a month after, when everything's died down. Please could you maybe drop me a PM so that I know what you guys would prefer- I only want to make this story as enjoyable for you as it can be. SORRY AGAIN for the false post but the next chapter of this story will be up much sooner if you guys tell me what you want! LOOK OUT SOON FOR THE NEXT UPDATE! X**


End file.
